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

• prophetic
• sinister
• prophetical

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

With the gap between predictive models and regulatory maps now exposed, pressure is building on municipalities and state agencies to modernize infrastructure and flood mitigation planning. —Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025

This would provide a forward-looking, predictive layer that traditional surveys simply cannot. —Jeff Gapusan, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

In recent years, the TIFF audience award had lost some of its predictive power — Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck, last year’s winner, fizzled on the campaign trail — but Zhao’s victory suggests the prize could once again be a bellwether for the season ahead. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025

In an industry where minutes of downtime can mean millions lost, predictive maintenance is fast becoming the discipline that keeps the world’s production lines alive. —Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predictive

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