proactive

[proh-ak-tiv]

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

adjective

serving to prepare for, intervene in, or control an expected occurrence or situation, especially a negative or difficult one; anticipatory: proactive measures against crime.

Origin of proactive

First recorded in 1930–35; pro-¹ + active

Related formspro·ac·tive, nounpro·ac·tiv·i·ty, pro·ac·tive·ness, nounpro·ac·tive·ly, adverb

Can be confusedproactive reactionary reactive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for proactive

Contemporary Examples

These are reactive, not proactive, stances, and they do little to offer substantive solutions.
Men Need A Better Men’s Rights Movement
Nancy Kaffer
December 16, 2014
There seems to be a proactive disregard for knowing or caring about their lives and plight.
Ferguson, Immigration, and ‘Us Vs. Them’
Gene Robinson
November 27, 2014
Without a dedicated and proactive rescue force, campaigners fear, the death toll in the Mediterranean will skyrocket.
Britain’s Let-Em-All-Die Policy
Nico Hines, Barbie Latza Nadeau
November 1, 2014
Just as there are clear upsides to these types of proactive efforts in the corporate sector, there are downsides to not doing so.
How Your Company Can End Violence Against Girls
Gary Cohen
October 9, 2014
I moved on to Camp Pendleton, a Marine base in California, to develop and implement a proactive counseling program.
Fixing Military Mental Healthcare
Marjorie Morrison
April 6, 2014

Historical Examples

So one cannot say that law, as opposed to politics, is not proactive.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin

British Dictionary definitions for proactive

proactive

adjective

tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events
psychol of or denoting a mental process that affects a subsequent process

Word Origin

C20: from pro- ² + (re) active

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for proactive

adj.

also pro-active, of persons or policies, as an opposition to reactive, 1921, from pro- + active. From 1933, in psychology (learning theory). Related: Proactively; proactiveness; proactivity.

proactive

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}proactive

Examples from the Web for proactive

Contemporary Examples

These are reactive, not proactive, stances, and they do little to offer substantive solutions.

There seems to be a proactive disregard for knowing or caring about their lives and plight.

Without a dedicated and proactive rescue force, campaigners fear, the death toll in the Mediterranean will skyrocket.

Just as there are clear upsides to these types of proactive efforts in the corporate sector, there are downsides to not doing so.

I moved on to Camp Pendleton, a Marine base in California, to develop and implement a proactive counseling program.

Historical Examples

So one cannot say that law, as opposed to politics, is not proactive.

proactive

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for proactive

adj.

Origin of proactive