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

Are predictive algorithms already influencing Medicaid management, reimbursement review, audits, fraud detection or resource allocation? —Sreedhar Potarazu, Baltimore Sun, 14 June 2026

Statisticians call it an illusory correlation, maintaining that proponents perceive a predictive relationship when actually non exists. —Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026

Beyond mere modernization, adopting these predictive tools helps solve infrastructure’s persistent optics problem. —Gregg Herrin, Fortune, 13 June 2026

Hitters conversely are prisoners of their skill level to a much larger degree, so smaller sample sizes don’t have as much predictive juice. —Michael Salfino, New York Times, 11 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predictive

• addictive
• constrictive
• restrictive
• vindictive
• magnetostrictive