adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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UK:/pɹəʊˈæk.tɪv/
US:/pɹoʊˈæk.tɪv/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -æktɪv
CMU ARPABET:P R OW2 AE1 K T IH0 V
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Acting in advance to deal with an expected change or difficulty.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
We can deal with each problem as it pops up, or we can take a proactive stance and try to prevent future problems.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adjective
Meaning 2
descriptive of any event or stimulus or process that has an effect on events or stimuli or processes that occur subsequently
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
proactive inhibition
proactive interference
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: retroactive
3
adjective satellite
Meaning 3
(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
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
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.
Across languages
Translations
36 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
وِقَائِيّ
(wiqāʔiyy)
— acting in advance
Arabic:
استباق الْأَحْدَاث
— acting in advance
Chinese Mandarin:
積極 /积极
(jījí)
— acting in advance
Chinese Mandarin:
主動 /主动
(zhǔdòng)
— acting in advance
Czech:
proaktivní
— acting in advance
Danish:
proaktiv
— acting in advance
Dutch:
proactief
— acting in advance
Finnish:
proaktiivinen
— acting in advance
Finnish:
ennakoiva
— acting in advance
French:
proactif
— acting in advance
German:
proaktiv
— acting in advance
Greek:
προενεργός
(proenergós)
— acting in advance
Hungarian:
előrelátó
— acting in advance
Hungarian:
proaktív
— acting in advance
Italian:
proattivo
— acting in advance
Japanese:
先取りした
— acting in advance
Korean:
주도적
(judojeok)
— acting in advance
Norwegian Bokmål:
proaktiv
— acting in advance
Norwegian Nynorsk:
proaktiv
— acting in advance
Occitan:
proactiu
— acting in advance
Persian:
پیش فعال
— acting in advance
Portuguese:
proativo
— acting in advance
Romanian:
proactiv
— acting in advance
Russian:
проактивный
(proaktivnyj)
— acting in advance
Russian:
упреждающий
(upreždajuščij)
— acting in advance
Serbo-Croatian:
proaktivan
— acting in advance
Spanish:
proactivo
— acting in advance
Spanish:
precavida
— acting in advance
Spanish:
preventiva
— acting in advance
Swedish:
förebyggande
— acting in advance
Swedish:
proaktiv
— acting in advance
Telugu:
ముందెత్తున
(mundettuna)
— acting in advance
Thai:
การป้องกัน
— acting in advance
Turkish:
ilerici
— acting in advance
Ukrainian:
проактивний
(proaktyvnyj)
— acting in advance
Ukrainian:
запобігливий
(zapobihlyvyj)
— acting in advance
