Meanings
plural advance directives
- medical lawA legal document outlining a person's end-of-life medical and healthcare wishes.
Collapsology has been likened to the cultural equivalent of an advance directive in the medical world, whereby you specify what actions should be taken for your health if you are no longer able to make decisions[…]
2023, Robert R. Janes, Museums and Societal Collapse: The Museum as Lifeboat, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN1 more example
The use of a generalized standard, as well as the frequent imprecision of advance directive terminology, underlines the importance of consultation between a declarant and those persons (including health-care agents and medical professionals) likely to be involved in administration of an advance directive.
1993, Norman L. Cantor, Advance Directives and the Pursuit of Death with Dignity, Indiana University Press, →ISBN, page 73Synonyms: advance healthcare directive, living will
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA legal document outlining a person's end-of-life medical and healthcare wishes.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 預設醫療指示 /预设医疗指示, 預立醫療決定 /预立医疗决定
- 預設醫療指示 /预设医疗指示 (yùshè yīliáo zhǐshì)document expressing a desire to die naturally in certain medical circumstances
- 預立醫療決定 /预立医疗决定document expressing a desire to die naturally in certain medical circumstances
- 預立醫囑 /预立医嘱document expressing a desire to die naturally in certain medical circumstances
Dutch wilsverklaring
- wilsverklaringdocument expressing a desire to die naturally in certain medical circumstances
Finnish hoitotahto
- hoitotahtodocument expressing a desire to die naturally in certain medical circumstances
French directives anticipées
- directives anticipéesdocument expressing a desire to die naturally in certain medical circumstances
German Patientenverfügung
- Patientenverfügungdocument expressing a desire to die naturally in certain medical circumstances
Italian dichiarazione anticipata di trattamento
- dichiarazione anticipata di trattamentodocument expressing a desire to die naturally in certain medical circumstances
Portuguese declaração antecipada de vontade
- declaração antecipada de vontadedocument expressing a desire to die naturally in certain medical circumstances
Spanish voluntades anticipadas
- voluntades anticipadasdocument expressing a desire to die naturally in certain medical circumstances
Cite this entry
advance directive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/advance%20directive
“advance directive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/advance%20directive. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “advance directive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/advance%20directive.
Source: advance directive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.