as in prophetic
being a sign of a later course of events
unfortunately, the stock market crash of 1929 turned out to be a predictive event, for the next decade was consumed by the Great Depression
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Recent Examples of predictive
The similarity between the two groups strengthens the case for using TMAO as a predictive measure to identify people most at risk of developing this serious condition.
—
New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2025
Adapted from a French bestseller, the dystopian thriller imagines a near-future Paris in which neighborhoods have been divided up into zones based on social class, with a police force operating under the command of ALMA, a predictive AI system (voiced, in the film, by an actual AI system).
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
One type is predictive AI, which is what powers your streaming and social media recommendations.
—Jeffrey C. Dixon, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2025
Of course a world of Fitbits, predictive advertising, and algorithmic air strikes would turn compassion into a form of top-down global triage.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predictive
New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2025
Adapted from a French bestseller, the dystopian thriller imagines a near-future Paris in which neighborhoods have been divided up into zones based on social class, with a police force operating under the command of ALMA, a predictive AI system (voiced, in the film, by an actual AI system).
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
One type is predictive AI, which is what powers your streaming and social media recommendations.
—Jeffrey C. Dixon, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2025
Of course a world of Fitbits, predictive advertising, and algorithmic air strikes would turn compassion into a form of top-down global triage.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predictive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predictive
Adjective
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Later, Bigelow chose to highlight still more below-the-line crew that were key toward capturing her hauntingly prophetic vision.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
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Conway rode a horse across America, sleeping under the stars and inspiring a vicarious longing that seems prophetic of Gilbert’s own path.—
Jia Tolentino,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Normally, that would be a recipe for some edge-of-your-seat action, although Ben Hopkins’ script makes clear early on that the bomb is just a distraction, while an even more sinister plot is ticking within the blast radius.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
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However, when Jess senses something sinister and then mysteriously disappears, Frida must uncover the truth before meeting the same fate.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Predictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predictive. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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