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proactive

[proh-ak-tiv]
adjective
  1. serving to prepare for, intervene in, or control an expected occurrence or situation, especially a negative or difficult one; anticipatory: proactive measures against crime.

Origin of proactive

First recorded in 1930–35; pro-1 + active
Related formspro·ac·tive, nounpro·ac·tiv·i·ty, pro·ac·tive·ness, nounpro·ac·tive·ly, adverb
Can be confusedproactive reactionary reactive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for proactiveness

proactive

adjective
  1. tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events
  2. 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
Word Origin and History for proactiveness

proactive

adj.

also pro-active, of persons or policies, as an opposition to reactive, 1921, from pro- + active. From 1933, in psychology (learning theory). Related: Proactively; proactiveness; proactivity.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper