predictive

adjective

pre·​dic·​tive pri-ˈdik-tiv 

1

: of, relating to, or usable or valuable for prediction

predictive medical factors

2

: based on or generated by using methods of prediction

predictive models

predictive text

Usually predictive policing refers to feeding reams of city data into a computer and dispatching extra officers to areas that are deemed to be at high risk of future crime.

—Leon Neyfakh

predictively adverb

Like an astrological chart, it can be made to fit any case, and it works better retrospectively than predictively.

—Carol Tavris

Synonyms

• prophetic
• prophetical

Examples of predictive in a Sentence

unfortunately, the stock market crash of 1929 turned out to be a predictive event, for the next decade was consumed by the Great Depression

Recent Examples on the Web

Its software is used in performance engineering, modeling and design, supply chain management, predictive and prescriptive maintenance, digital grid management and industrial data management. —Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2025

By automating low-value tasks, providing predictive insights and streamlining content creation, AI allows BD professionals to focus on what matters most: building strong, lasting relationships. —Patricia Nagy, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025

There's no need to go through the predictive track record of the various precursor awards here — because Zoe Saldaña and Kieran Culkin have swept them at every major ceremony. —Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 27 Feb. 2025

Along with Auburn and Duke, that’s your top six right now both in resume metrics and predictive metrics. —Joe Rexrode, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predictive

• addictive
• constrictive
• restrictive
• vindictive
• fictive
• magnetostrictive