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

Using both the predictive and inverse models, the robot achieves simultaneous human-robot facial expression, generating coexpressions without directly observing the target face. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 Jan. 2026

But industry must adopt innovation that preserves nuance, predictive maintenance inclinations, and incident-specific experience only possible from years of hands-on work. —Kriti Sharma, Fortune, 15 Jan. 2026

The legislation would modify federal highway and freight safety programs to allow grant recipients, such as state departments of transportation, to use vehicle telematics and predictive analytics to identify infrastructure concerns. —Arkansas Online, 12 Jan. 2026

Coplan touted the predictive success of Polymarket wagers at the Globes. —Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predictive

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