proactive

[ proh-ak-tiv ]

/ proʊˈæk tɪv /

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adjective

serving to prepare for, intervene in, or control an expected occurrence or situation, especially a negative or challenging one; anticipatory: The new guidelines will help industry employers develop proactive measures to keep their workplaces safe.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of proactive

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

OTHER WORDS FROM proactive

pro·ac·tive, nounpro·ac·tiv·i·ty [proh-ak-tiv-i-tee], /ˌproʊ ækˈtɪv ɪ ti/, pro·ac·tive·ness, nounpro·ac·tive·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH proactive

proactive , reactionary, reactive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use proactive in a sentence

That Stone would slander the democratic, pro-Western, EuroMaidan revolution as a CIA coup is no surprise.
Oliver Stone’s Latest Dictator Suckup|James Kirchick|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“The United States had gone to war declaring it must destroy an active weapons of mass destruction program,” the Times reported.
Political Memes That Absolutely Must Die in 2015|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But failing that, he advised pro-immigration reform Republican candidates such as former Gov. Jeb Bush to just skip the state.
Can This Republican Bring the GOP Back to Its Senses on Immigration?|Tim Mak|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How did you make the transition from pro surfer to modeling?
Anastasia Ashley, Surfer-Cum-Model, Rides The Viral Internet Wave|James Joiner|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Almost immediately, another group active at the protests called the Justice League snitches.
De Blasio and the New York City Protesters Have No Blood on Their Hands|Jacob Siegel|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We must have motif first, then technique to adapt and adjust expression and to develop facility in the active agents.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
With the announcement of the thirty-six directors, it was possible to proceed to the active opening of the institutions.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
He became one of the assistants of Mr. Wesley, and was active in the service of the church.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
The opposite of these two methods of rote learning is my method, which injects an active process between each pair of words.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
He continued active till his 35th year, when he began to decline, and died of water in the chest.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for proactive

proactive

/ (prəʊˈæktɪv) /

adjective

tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events

psychol of or denoting a mental process that affects a subsequent process

Word Origin for proactive

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

proactive

Origin of proactive

OTHER WORDS FROM proactive

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH proactive

Words related to proactive

How to use proactive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for proactive

Word Origin for proactive