proactive

adjective

pro·​ac·​tive (ˌ)prō-ˈak-tiv 

1

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

Once patients have the big data about their bodies, the thinking goes, they can be proactive about their health, cut care costs and foster better relationships with their doctors.

—Alexandra Sifferlin

Proactive managers are planners; they anticipate crises rather than reel from them.

—Michael Tannenbaum et al.

2

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

Because of proactive interference, you may have difficulty remembering a new area code (you keep dialing the old one by mistake).

—Jeffrey Nevid

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.

Synonyms

• cautious
• careful

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

Since the start of Breast Cancer Awareness initiatives in 1985, over 517,000 lives have been saved from better treatment and proactive screening, according to the American Cancer Society. —Dr. Noor Shaik, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025

But Spurs need to be more proactive and assert their authority. —Jay Harris, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025

To address this con of complacency, employers should be proactive in employee engagement and satisfaction to keep up morale through offering upskilling, mentorship, internal mobility opportunities and more. —Vicki Salemi, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025

His eyes right now are proactive rather than reactive. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for proactive

• attractive
• contractive
• extractive
• inactive
• reactive
• refractive
• subtractive
• active
• tractive
• bioactive
• hyperactive
• interactive

Kids Definition

proactive

adjective

pro·​ac·​tive prō-ˈak-tiv 

: acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes

proactively adverb

Medical Definition

proactive

adjective

pro·​ac·​tive (ˈ)prō-ˈak-tiv 

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

proactive inhibition of memory