predictive
Americanadjective
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of or relating to prediction.
The predictive power of the software is its ability to analyze relationships in the data at a speed and on a scale not previously possible.
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used or useful for predicting or foretelling the future.
Astrologers look for predictive signs among the stars.
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being an indication of the future or of future conditions.
The cold wind was predictive of snow.
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Digital Technology. relating to or being computer or smartphone software that uses the text just entered in a message or document to suggest words that may be wanted next.
There's a combination of artificial intelligence and special algorithms in the code that makes the predictive text happen.
adjective
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of, relating to, or making predictions
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text messaging (of mobile phone technology) enabling mobile phones to predict the word being entered in a text message from the first few letters
predictive texting
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of predictive
First recorded in 1630–40; from Late Latin praedictīvus “foretelling”; see predict, -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Regents overruled a faculty task force, which had found the tests to be predictive of college success across demographics and recommended keeping them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Both predictive neuroscience and psychoanalytic theory describe the mind as a system that seeks stability and predictability, also known as homeostasis, a state of psychological balance.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 1, 2026
Various predictive models put their chances of sticking around at roughly 50-50.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Its AiBLE surgical platform combines AI-driven predictive software with specialized hardware components that offer an expanding list of applications.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
But that means that about 3.6 percent of the people who dream every night will have a predictive dream.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
