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

But Ford has been more proactive than most of its competitors in exploring the non-technical aspects of a self-driving car service. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Walmart agrees to work with Ford on self-driving grocery delivery pilot," 14 Nov. 2018 Quakenbush noted that the department has been proactive in addressing the drug epidemic. — John Tuohy, Indianapolis Star, "Hamilton County sheriff's race gets 'toxic'," 4 May 2018 In that hearing, Warner and others will press the platforms to be more proactive and transparent with foreign accounts and bots in the future. — Makena Kelly, The Verge, "Lawmakers warn ‘time is running out’ in fight against online election interference," 1 Aug. 2018 This effort is part of a broader challenge to rework much of how Facebook operates to be more proactive about protecting our community from harm and taking a broader view of our responsibility overall. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Stop calling Facebook’s effort to fix itself an “arms race”," 14 Sep. 2018 Pence vowed the White House would take proactive measures to overhaul the country’s cyber-security systems, to prevent another attack. — Bradford Betz, Fox News, "Trump inherited 'cyber-crisis' from Obama, VP Pence says at cybersecurity summit," 1 Aug. 2018 Consultant Clark was angry that the study, which the city launched as a proactive measure, had not been released before the shooting. — Katie Bernard, kansascity, "Lawrence police study has been done for months — but city has delayed its release," 2 July 2018 In the Capitol, Republican lawmakers framed the decision as a victory for proactive national security measures. — Nash Jenkins, Time, "Republicans Are Thrilled With the Supreme Court's Decision Upholding Trump's Travel Ban," 26 June 2018 Banks can ask more questions on vulnerability and mitigation before financing major development projects, and the insurance sector can provide more incentives for proactive measures to reduce disaster risk. — Jeff Schlegelmilch, Fortune, "The 2018 Hurricane Season Is Here. We Can’t Just Rely on the Federal Government to Help Us Prepare," 30 May 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

14 Mar 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