proactive

adjective

pro·ac·tive | \ (ˌ)prō-ˈak-tiv

Definition of proactive

1 [ ¹pro- ] : relating to, caused by, or being interference between previous learning and the recall or performance of later learning proactive inhibition of memory

2 [ ²pro- + reactive ] : acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes

Other Words from proactive Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about proactive

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Did You Know?

People who tend to react to a problem only when it's gotten serious could be called reactive people. Until recently, reactive (in this sense) didn't really have an antonym. So proactive was coined to describe the kind of person who's always looking into the future in order to be prepared for anything. A good parent attempts to be proactive on behalf of his or her children, trying to imagine the problems they might be facing in a few months or years. A company's financial officers study the patterns of the company's earnings to make sure it won't risk running short of cash at any point in the next year or two. Proactive has only been around a few decades, and it can still sometimes sound like a fashionable buzzword.

Examples of proactive in a Sentence

A survey was given out to customers so that the company could take proactive steps to improve their service. The city is taking a proactive approach to fighting crime by hiring more police officers.

Recent Examples on the Web

By taking a proactive approach to treating the mental and physical symptoms of infertility, the sometimes-challenging journey to reaching that miracle will be that much easier. — Samantha Saltz, M.d., miamiherald, "Few discuss the emotional toll of struggling to conceive a child," 30 May 2018 This more proactive approach toward fixing problems within the NOPD has resulted in greater public confidence in the department. — Richard A. Webster, NOLA.com, "NOPD has made major progress under consent decree, but more work ahead, monitors say," 11 Apr. 2018 But these founders hope streamlining the process of getting them will help women move from being reactive to proactive about fertility. — Macaela Mackenzie, Glamour, "Do You Need a Fertility Test—Even If You’re Not Trying to Get Pregnant?," 13 Dec. 2018 Other cities have adopted similar laws Seattle’s law is being challenged as more and more cities adopt similar, proactive programs to help improve rental inspections. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Seattle’s mandatory rental inspection law challenged in lawsuit," 6 Dec. 2018 Business and political leaders had been seeking a merger for years, hoping to forge a proactive, well-funded and, most importantly, unified political force in Salem. — The Oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, "Business lobby's interim CEO says it needs to 'get cracking' after predecessor's firing," 14 Apr. 2018 The experience also led him to think about marketing in a more proactive away. — Jane Wooldridge, miamiherald, "‘Pursue your passion’ -- even if business fails | Miami Herald," 25 Mar. 2018 Inter have so far been the most proactive in their attempts to bring in Barella. — SI.com, "Cagliari Set £44m Asking Price for Liverpool & Juventus Target Nicolo Barella," 8 Jan. 2018 Next: Han is working on figuring out how to turn prediction systems like her algorithms, which can be valuable tools for researchers already focused on sniffing out emerging diseases, into something more proactive, such as an early warning system. — Mallory Locklear, Discover Magazine, "With Big Data and Predictive Analytics, Scientists Are Getting Smarter About Outbreaks," 8 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'proactive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

17 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for proactive

The first known use of proactive was in 1933

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More Definitions for proactive

proactive

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of proactive

: controlling a situation by making things happen or by preparing for possible future problems

See the full definition for proactive in the English Language Learners Dictionary

proactive

adjective

pro·ac·tive | \ (ˈ)prō-ˈak-tiv

Medical Definition of proactive

: relating to, caused by, or being interference between previous learning and the recall or performance of later learning proactive inhibition of memory