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
• 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

The Future Of Cybersecurity Looking ahead, cybersecurity will become increasingly autonomous, predictive, adaptive and continuously evolving. —Harikrishnan Muthukrishnan, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

Many existing screening tests operate with worse predictive values, often producing more unnecessary interventions than Grail’s approach seemed likely to trigger. —Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

Americans' fears of the stock market crashing are skyrocketing as the economy remains uncertain and President Donald Trump's tariffs take effect, according to a report by predictive consumer data company Resonate. —Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025

For instance, predictive models have assisted social workers to prioritize high-risk cases and intervene earlier. —Aislinn Conrad, The Conversation, 13 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predictive

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