Definitions for proactiveproʊˈæk tɪv
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
pro•ac•tiveproʊˈæk tɪv(adj.)
serving to prepare for, intervene in, or control an expected occurrence or situation:
proactive measures against crime.
Category: Common Vocabulary
Origin of proactive:
1930–35
pro•ac′tive•ly(adv.)
Princeton's WordNet
proactive(adj)
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"
proactive(adj)
(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
Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary
proactive(adjective)ʊˈæk tɪv
≠ passive
a proactive approach to his career
Wiktionary
proactive(Adjective)
Acting in advance to deal with an expected change or difficulty
We can deal with each problem as it pops up, or we can take a proactive stance and try to prevent future problems.
Origin: ; 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 , in the context of dealing with the Holocaust, as contrast with reactive. Popularized in the US in the 1970s in management and business setting by .
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