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

For instance, Royal Caribbean is close to reducing its food waste by 50% through predictive modeling. —Diane Brady, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026

The technologies already implemented span a spectrum from predictive models that calculate simple risk scores to agentic AI that promises autonomous decision-making—enabling systems to titrate a patient’s oxygen flow or reprioritize an ER triage queue with little human input. —Hilke Schellmann, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2026

Brian Chau, a food scientist and founder of food science and food systems consultancy Chau Time, said many AI food startups are still in the data-collection phase, working to aggregate enough real-world information to make their models meaningfully predictive. —Barbara Booth, CNBC, 14 Feb. 2026

The company’s embedding of predictive AI has also bolstered maintenance processes in its physical networks. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predictive

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