"proactive" meaning in English

See proactive in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /pɹəʊˈæk.tɪv/ [UK], /pɹoʊˈæk.tɪv/ [US] Audio: en-us-proactive.ogg [US] Forms: more proactive [comparative], most proactive [superlative]
Rhymes: -æktɪv Etymology: 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. Etymology templates: {{prefix|en|pro|active}} pro- + active, {{m|en|reactive}} reactive Head templates: {{en-adj}} proactive (comparative more proactive, superlative most proactive)
  1. Acting in advance to deal with an expected change or difficulty Wikipedia link: Viktor Emil Frankl, proactive Categories (topical): Personality Synonyms: anticipatory, forward-looking Derived forms: proactively, proactivity, proaction, proactiveness Related terms: preactive, proact, proactor Translations (acting in advance): وِقَائِيّ (wiqāʔiyy) (Arabic), استباق الْأَحْدَاث (Arabic), 積極 (Chinese Mandarin), 积极 (jījí) (Chinese Mandarin), 主動 (Chinese Mandarin), 主动 (zhǔdòng) (Chinese Mandarin), proaktivní (Czech), proaktiv (Danish), proactief (Dutch), proaktiivinen (Finnish), ennakoiva (Finnish), proactif (French), proaktiv (German), προενεργός (proenergós) [masculine] (Greek), előrelátó (Hungarian), proaktív (Hungarian), proattivo (Italian), 先取りした (Japanese), 주도적 (judojeok) (Korean), proaktiv (Norwegian Bokmål), proaktiv (Norwegian Nynorsk), proactiu (Occitan), پیش فعال (Persian), proativo (Portuguese), proactiv (Romanian), проактивный (proaktivnyj) (Russian), упреждающий (upreždajuščij) (Russian), proaktivan (Serbo-Croatian), proactivo (Spanish), precavida (Spanish), preventiva (Spanish), förebyggande (Swedish), proaktiv (Swedish), ముందెత్తున (mundettuna) (Telugu), การป้องกัน (alt: ล่วงหน้า) (Thai), ilerici (Turkish), проактивний (proaktyvnyj) (Ukrainian), запобігливий (zapobihlyvyj) (Ukrainian)

Download JSON data for proactive meaning in English (6.5kB)

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "reactive"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pro",
        "3": "active"
      },
      "expansion": "pro- + active",
      "name": "prefix"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "reactive"
      },
      "expansion": "reactive",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more proactive",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most proactive",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "proactive (comparative more proactive, superlative most proactive)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms prefixed with pro-",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Personality",
          "orig": "en:Personality",
          "parents": [
            "Mind",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "proactively"
        },
        {
          "word": "proactivity"
        },
        {
          "word": "proaction"
        },
        {
          "word": "proactiveness"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "We can deal with each problem as it pops up, or we can take a proactive stance and try to prevent future problems.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019 December 4, Andy Coward, “Derby's crowning achievement”, in Rail, page 56",
          "text": "Staff are also proactive in approaching any passengers looking as though they need assistance, rather than waiting to be approached.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Acting in advance to deal with an expected change or difficulty"
      ],
      "id": "en-proactive-en-adj-hQhSS3dS",
      "links": [
        [
          "change",
          "change"
        ],
        [
          "difficulty",
          "difficulty"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "preactive"
        },
        {
          "word": "proact"
        },
        {
          "word": "proactor"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "anticipatory"
        },
        {
          "word": "forward-looking"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "wiqāʔiyy",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "وِقَائِيّ"
        },
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "استباق الْأَحْدَاث"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "積極"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "jījí",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "积极"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "主動"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "zhǔdòng",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "主动"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proaktivní"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proaktiv"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proactief"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proaktiivinen"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "ennakoiva"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proactif"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proaktiv"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "proenergós",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "προενεργός"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "előrelátó"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proaktív"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proattivo"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "先取りした"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "judojeok",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "주도적"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proaktiv"
        },
        {
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proaktiv"
        },
        {
          "code": "oc",
          "lang": "Occitan",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proactiu"
        },
        {
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "پیش فعال"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proativo"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proactiv"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "proaktivnyj",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "проактивный"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "upreždajuščij",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "упреждающий"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proaktivan"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proactivo"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "precavida"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "preventiva"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "förebyggande"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "proaktiv"
        },
        {
          "code": "te",
          "lang": "Telugu",
          "roman": "mundettuna",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "ముందెత్తున"
        },
        {
          "alt": "ล่วงหน้า",
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "การป้องกัน"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "ilerici"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "proaktyvnyj",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "проактивний"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "zapobihlyvyj",
          "sense": "acting in advance",
          "word": "запобігливий"
        }
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Viktor Emil Frankl",
        "proactive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹəʊˈæk.tɪv/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹoʊˈæk.tɪv/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-æktɪv"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-proactive.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/db/En-us-proactive.ogg/En-us-proactive.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/En-us-proactive.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "proactive"
}
{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "reactive"
    }
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "proactively"
    },
    {
      "word": "proactivity"
    },
    {
      "word": "proaction"
    },
    {
      "word": "proactiveness"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pro",
        "3": "active"
      },
      "expansion": "pro- + active",
      "name": "prefix"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "reactive"
      },
      "expansion": "reactive",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more proactive",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most proactive",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "proactive (comparative more proactive, superlative most proactive)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "preactive"
    },
    {
      "word": "proact"
    },
    {
      "word": "proactor"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English 3-syllable words",
        "English adjectives",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English terms prefixed with pro-",
        "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
        "Rhymes:English/æktɪv",
        "Rhymes:English/æktɪv/3 syllables",
        "en:Personality"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "We can deal with each problem as it pops up, or we can take a proactive stance and try to prevent future problems.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019 December 4, Andy Coward, “Derby's crowning achievement”, in Rail, page 56",
          "text": "Staff are also proactive in approaching any passengers looking as though they need assistance, rather than waiting to be approached.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Acting in advance to deal with an expected change or difficulty"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "change",
          "change"
        ],
        [
          "difficulty",
          "difficulty"
        ]
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Viktor Emil Frankl",
        "proactive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹəʊˈæk.tɪv/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹoʊˈæk.tɪv/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-æktɪv"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-proactive.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/db/En-us-proactive.ogg/En-us-proactive.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/En-us-proactive.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "anticipatory"
    },
    {
      "word": "forward-looking"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "wiqāʔiyy",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "وِقَائِيّ"
    },
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "استباق الْأَحْدَاث"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "積極"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "jījí",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "积极"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "主動"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "zhǔdòng",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "主动"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proaktivní"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proaktiv"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proactief"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proaktiivinen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "ennakoiva"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proactif"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proaktiv"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "proenergós",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "προενεργός"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "előrelátó"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proaktív"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proattivo"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "先取りした"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "judojeok",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "주도적"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proaktiv"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proaktiv"
    },
    {
      "code": "oc",
      "lang": "Occitan",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proactiu"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "پیش فعال"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proativo"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proactiv"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "proaktivnyj",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "проактивный"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "upreždajuščij",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "упреждающий"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proaktivan"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proactivo"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "precavida"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "preventiva"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "förebyggande"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "proaktiv"
    },
    {
      "code": "te",
      "lang": "Telugu",
      "roman": "mundettuna",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "ముందెత్తున"
    },
    {
      "alt": "ล่วงหน้า",
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "การป้องกัน"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "ilerici"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "proaktyvnyj",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "проактивний"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "zapobihlyvyj",
      "sense": "acting in advance",
      "word": "запобігливий"
    }
  ],
  "word": "proactive"
}
{
  "called_from": "form_descriptions/2028",
  "msg": "more than one value in \"alt\": gaan-bpɔ̂ng-gan(lûuang-nâa) vs. ล่วงหน้า",
  "path": [
    "proactive"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "adjective",
  "title": "proactive",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.