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
proactively
adverbPeople Are Reading
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 of proactive from the Web
-
Dodson said districts need to be proactive, talk to teachers and principals about problem scenarios and not wait for trouble to surface.
-
Regardless of who won last November, Saudi Arabia was going to have to take a more proactive stance trying to shape the agenda in Washington:
-
The Cabinet session was the latest example of posturing by Netanyahu, who is under pressure from religious nationalist politicians to be more proactive in asserting Israeli sovereignty in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
-
Ones that are proactive, have their own agencies, don’t just react to the men around them.
-
Thank God there's already been some proactive movement on that side with a group like Public Enemy, which used hugely sample-centric production from the Bomb Squad and for a while there a lot of that stuff was locked up in sample purgatory.
-
According to the investigation, board member Enrique Hernandez Jr., chair of its risk committee, took a proactive stance in trying to learn about the sales misdeeds and criticizing Tolstedt.
-
ALSO: An 'aggressive, proactive attack' to prevent disaster at the Oroville Dam Trump approves FEMA disaster declaration for 34 California counties hit by storms
-
Colleen McDaniel, Senior Executive Editor at Cruise Critic, advised that in the event of a cancellation under any circumstances, being proactive about the contacting the cruise line is a smart bet.
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.
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.
1933
First Known Use of proactive
1933
PROACTIVE Defined for English Language Learners
proactive
playDefinition of proactive for English Language Learners
-
: controlling a situation by making things happen or by preparing for possible future problems
Medical Dictionary
proactive
playMedical 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
Learn More about proactive
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up proactive? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!