proactive

adjective

pro·​ac·​tive (ˌ)prō-ˈak-tiv 

1

[pro- entry 2 + reactive] : acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes

Once patients have the big data about their bodies, the thinking goes, they can be proactive about their health, cut care costs and foster better relationships with their doctors.

—Alexandra Sifferlin

Proactive managers are planners; they anticipate crises rather than reel from them.

—Michael Tannenbaum et al.

2

[pro- entry 1] psychology : relating to, caused by, or being interference between previous learning and the recall or performance of later learning

Because of proactive interference, you may have difficulty remembering a new area code (you keep dialing the old one by mistake).

—Jeffrey Nevid

Did you know?

People who tend to react to a problem only when it's gotten serious could be called reactive people. Until recently, reactive (in this sense) didn't really have an antonym. So proactive was coined to describe the kind of person who's always looking into the future in order to be prepared for anything. A good parent attempts to be proactive on behalf of his or her children, trying to imagine the problems they might be facing in a few months or years. A company's financial officers study the patterns of the company's earnings to make sure it won't risk running short of cash at any point in the next year or two. Proactive has only been around a few decades, and it can still sometimes sound like a fashionable buzzword.

Synonyms

• farseeing
• farsighted
• forehanded
• foreseeing
• foresighted
• forethoughtful
• forward
• forward-looking
• prescient
• provident
• visionary

Examples of proactive in a Sentence

A survey was given out to customers so that the company could take proactive steps to improve their service.

The city is taking a proactive approach to fighting crime by hiring more police officers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Eilish is aware of this part of her ecosystem too and is proactive about it. —Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024

Live sports has provided some motivation for some customers to stay tethered, but Comcast has been proactive with its sports rights, winding down cable outlet NBC Sports Network and shifting a considerable amount of live inventory to Peacock, sometimes in simulcasts with NBC. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024

Without proactive engagement and effective communication, AI companies risk being hampered by regulations that could stifle innovation and delay the deployment of beneficial technologies. —Nina Turner, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Hamilton noted that people who don't have the BRCA gene mutations (which increase the risk of ovarian and breast cancer) should still be proactive about screening. —Sarah Scott, Verywell Health, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

proactive

adjective

pro·​ac·​tive prō-ˈak-tiv 

: acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes

proactively adverb

Medical Definition

proactive

adjective

pro·​ac·​tive (ˈ)prō-ˈak-tiv 

: relating to, caused by, or being interference between previous learning and the recall or performance of later learning

proactive inhibition of memory