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 of predictive

• prophetic
• sinister

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

This would shift the system from a primarily reactive to a more predictive one. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026

So far, their most significant finding has been identifying cells in menstrual blood that express inflammatory biomarkers predictive of endometriosis. — Fiorella Valdesolo, Allure, 30 Oct. 2026

There's no predictive value from the tournament, because players do not magically become different in October. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026

The forecast is accurate for a day or two but rarely predictive over weeks or months. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predictive

• addictive
• constrictive
• restrictive
• vindictive
• magnetostrictive