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

But the true game-changer was predictive visitor intelligence, the data strong enough to prove impact before the first pick, align local partners early, and help the community prepare for a moment the entire country would be watching. —Gary Drenik, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

Part of the problem lies in the predictive nature of many AI models. —Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 17 Jan. 2026

More than 25 selective datasets are used with predictive analytics not available anywhere else to help shape your postseason strategy. —Christian Romo, Freep.com, 17 Jan. 2026

Monte Carlo – predictive modeling for computational advantages Paul Romano, a computational scientist at Argonne who began developing OpenMC as an MIT graduate student, explains that the software allows teams to demonstrate the advantages of new designs computationally before hardware is built. —Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predictive

• addictive
• constrictive
• restrictive
• vindictive
• fictive
• magnetostrictive