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
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
Carol Tavris
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
My previous writing on DataOps—including multipart explorations of industrial DataOps and continuous predictive maintenance—has been shaped by experiences working with IT/OT leaders and quality professionals who not only need data quickly, but who also need data that is reliable and audit-ready.
—Nagesh Nama, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
And research has shown that skilled field trades like those that service the electric system stand to be augmented, not replaced, by artificial intelligence tools such as predictive maintenance and remote diagnostics.
—Brian Deese, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2025
To address this growing concern, RCHOC has adopted predictive modeling technology that estimates a child’s individual risk for myopia progression.
—Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
Passing numbers at the collegiate level have exploded in the past 15 years, as offenses have been designed around airing the ball out; as a result, college performance has almost no predictive value to the NFL—a quarterback version of grade inflation.
—Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predictive
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Nagesh Nama, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
And research has shown that skilled field trades like those that service the electric system stand to be augmented, not replaced, by artificial intelligence tools such as predictive maintenance and remote diagnostics.
—Brian Deese, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2025
To address this growing concern, RCHOC has adopted predictive modeling technology that estimates a child’s individual risk for myopia progression.
—Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
Passing numbers at the collegiate level have exploded in the past 15 years, as offenses have been designed around airing the ball out; as a result, college performance has almost no predictive value to the NFL—a quarterback version of grade inflation.
—Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predictive
Cite this Entry
“Predictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predictive. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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