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

After classes resumed at her oldest child’s school, Sierra Madre Elementary, following the fires, Harrison gave a presentation there on the relation between resilience and the predictive brain. — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Given the inherent volatility and randomness of postseason baseball, trying to draw permanent or predictive conclusions from small sample size outcomes is ultimately pointless. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

The researchers also detected these predictive responses in two sensory-processing regions of the thalamus, suggesting that anticipation involves multiple structures beneath the cerebral cortex. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

The founders said predictive software can’t replace genuine personal connection and authentic taste. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predictive

• addictive
• constrictive
• restrictive
• vindictive
• magnetostrictive