Definition of PROACTIVE

proactive

Meanings

Adjective

  • descriptive of any event or stimulus or process that has an effect on events or stimuli or processes that occur subsequently
    • "proactive inhibition"
    • "proactive interference"

Adjective Satellite

  • (of a policy or person or action) controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than waiting to respond to it after it happens

Adj

  • Acting in advance to deal with an expected change or difficulty

Origin / Etymology

From pro- + active; originally coined 1933 by Paul Whiteley and Gerald Blankfort in a psychology paper, used in technical sense. Used in a popular context and sense (courage, perseverance) in 1946 book Man’s Search for Meaning by neuropsychiatrist Viktor Emil Frankl, in the context of dealing with the Holocaust, as contrast with reactive.

Synonyms

anticipatory, forward-looking

Antonyms

reactive, retroactive

Scrabble Score: 16

proactive is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
proactive is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
proactive is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 19

proactive is a valid Words With Friends word