proactive

English

Etymology

pro- +‎ active; originally coined 1933 by Paul Whiteley and Gerald Blankfort in a psychology paper, used in technical sense.[1][2] 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.

Pronunciation

  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -æktɪv

Adjective

proactive (comparative more proactive, superlative most proactive)

  1. 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.

Usage notes

Some consider proactive to be a buzzword, and it is associated with business-speak.[3]

Depending on use, alternatives include active, or “show initiative” instead of “be proactive”.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Translations

References

  1. ↑ OED
  2. ↑ Whiteley, Paul L.; Blankfort, Gerald (1933), “The Influence of Certain Prior Conditions Upon Learning”, Journal of Experimental Psychology (APA) 16: 843–851
  3. ↑ The good grammar guide, by Richard Palmer, 2003, p. 157

French

Adjective

proactive

  1. feminine singular of proactif
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