proactive

American  

[proh-ak-tiv] / proʊˈæk tɪv /

adjective

1. 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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proactive British  

/ prəʊˈæktɪv /

adjective

1. tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events

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

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Usage

What does proactive mean? Proactive is the opposite of reactive. Actions that are proactive are initiated not in reaction to a situation but instead out of a desire to make a positive change, prepare for a situation, or prevent something from happening.Proactive is commonly used to describe people who take such actions. It’s also commonly used in the phrase proactive measures, meaning proactive actions, especially those done to prevent a negative situation.Example: Henry credits most of his success to being proactive instead of waiting for opportunities to come to him.

Other Word Forms

• proactive noun
• proactively adverb
• proactiveness noun
• proactivity noun

Etymology

Origin of proactive

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

Example Sentences

Phuangketkeow later told AFP that Thailand had proposed what it termed "calibrated engagement", saying the country needed to be proactive given its status as Myanmar's next-door neighbour.

From Barron's

“Crime was completely out of control, and the department was functioning like a fire department. There wasn’t much proactive work going on because the police were kind of hated.”

From The Wall Street Journal

In their open letter, the memorials called on social media platforms to "proactively combat AI content that distorts history" and to "exclude accounts that disseminate such content from all monetisation programmes".

From Barron's

The yen weakened again earlier this month and late last year because of expectations that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is weighing more proactive spending to help the country’s economy.

From MarketWatch

The yen weakened again earlier this month and late last year because of expectations that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is weighing more proactive spending to help the country’s economy.

From MarketWatch