proactive

[ proh-ak-tiv ]
/ proʊˈæk tɪv /

adjective

serving to prepare for, intervene in, or control an expected occurrence or situation, especially a negative or difficult one; anticipatory: proactive measures against crime.

Origin of proactive

First recorded in 1930–35; pro-1 + active

OTHER WORDS FROM proactive

pro·ac·tive, noun pro·ac·tiv·i·ty, pro·ac·tive·ness, noun pro·ac·tive·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH proactive

proactive reactionary reactive

VOCAB BUILDER

What does proactive mean?

Where does proactive come from?

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How is proactive used in real life?

Proactive is always used positively, especially when recognizing people whose actions have helped to prevent negative situations or helped to make them not as bad as they could have been.

 

 

Try using proactive!

Which of the following words would NOT be used to refer to someone who’s being proactive?

A. go-getter
B. procrastinator
C. prepared
D. gung-ho

Example sentences from the Web for proactive

British Dictionary definitions for proactive

proactive
/ (prəʊˈæktɪv) /

adjective

tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events
psychol of or denoting a mental process that affects a subsequent process

Word Origin for proactive

C20: from pro- ² + ( re) active