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
The researchers suggest that predictive neuroscience could provide a biological foundation for psychoanalytic ideas, while psychoanalysis could help neuroscience better understand how predictions are experienced, interpreted, and expressed in everyday life and relationships.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 1, 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
They can analyze data and make predictive inferences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 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.
