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.
Pricing risk of any kind relies on predictive inputs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
The team also investigated whether the complete antibody fingerprint could provide more predictive information than a small number of individual biomarkers.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
The table below compares the model’s predictive power with that of the simple E/P ratio, focusing on a statistic known as the r-squared over the last 50 years.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
So although it’s always worth taking them with a grain of salt, last night’s bigger loser was betting markets, whose predictive power in Wisconsin was effectively zero.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026
He developed a predictive model to understand planetary motions and decode the message in the skies.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
