proactive

adjective

pro·​ac·​tive (ˌ)prō-ˈak-tiv How to pronounce proactive (audio)
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.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His eyes right now are proactive rather than reactive. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025 But panelists seemed to be more keen about mapping out ways the fashion industry and consumers can be proactive about circularity rather than reactive to extreme waste. Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2025 The preview feature, available now for Pro subscribers on mobile, marks OpenAI's latest attempt to make ChatGPT proactive rather than reactive, with the AI model conducting overnight research to deliver morning updates based on user history and connected apps. Benj Edwards, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2025 The other hope is that, over time, drones can serve as more proactive wildlife management tools. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 25 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for proactive

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of proactive was in 1933

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Cite this Entry

“Proactive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proactive. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

proactive

adjective
pro·​ac·​tive prō-ˈak-tiv How to pronounce proactive (audio)
: acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes
proactively adverb

Medical Definition

proactive

adjective
pro·​ac·​tive (ˈ)prō-ˈak-tiv How to pronounce proactive (audio)
: relating to, caused by, or being interference between previous learning and the recall or performance of later learning
proactive inhibition of memory
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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