proactive

CEFRC1

/pɹəʊˈæk.tɪv/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Taking action early to prevent problems or create useful results.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

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

Examples

  • Algeria is being proactive in dealing with the coronavirus epidemic.

  • School busing and taking a proactive stance against discrimination were hotly debated topics.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
2
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1
Synonyms
2

Also pronounced

  • /pɹoʊˈæk.tɪv/

Deep Dive

More examples

In context

  • The government is being urged to take a proactive approach to reducing carbon emissions.

  • We can deal with each problem as it pops up, or we can take a proactive stance and try to prevent future problems.

  • Staff are also proactive in approaching any passengers looking as though they need assistance, rather than waiting to be approached.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

A highly effective manager is always blank, anticipating and solving issues beforehand.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

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.