English Explanatory Dictionary

proactive

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Acting in advance to deal with an expected change or difficulty.

Pronunciation

/pɹəʊˈæk.tɪv/ /pɹoʊˈæk.tɪv/ en-us-proactive.ogg

Word forms

proactive more proactive most proactive

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

Related words

preactive proact proactor

Derived words

proaction proactively proactiveness proactivist proactivity
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