predictive

adjective

pre·​dic·​tive pri-ˈdik-tiv 

1

: of, relating to, or usable or valuable for prediction

predictive medical factors

2

: based on or generated by using methods of prediction

predictive models

predictive text

Usually predictive policing refers to feeding reams of city data into a computer and dispatching extra officers to areas that are deemed to be at high risk of future crime.

—Leon Neyfakh

predictively adverb

Like an astrological chart, it can be made to fit any case, and it works better retrospectively than predictively.

—Carol Tavris

Synonyms

• prophetic
• prophetical

Examples of predictive in a Sentence

unfortunately, the stock market crash of 1929 turned out to be a predictive event, for the next decade was consumed by the Great Depression

Recent Examples on the Web

Data analytics can generate predictive and prescriptive insights about users, their profiles and context, which must be used as input for intelligent workflows. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025

This can be done through a more seamless, predictive human-machine interface while fully engaging the five senses that will foster a nirvana of personal immersion. —Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025

Using a predictive analysis based on the strength and depth of the earthquake, the USGS estimated that a death toll over 10,000 is a strong possibility, and that economic losses could be greater than the country’s gross domestic product. —Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC news, 29 Mar. 2025

What really sets it apart from traditional hydraulic shocks is its integration with the car's LiDAR and cameras and makes predictive adjustments to the stiffness of the shock. —Joe Salas, New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predictive

• addictive
• constrictive
• restrictive
• vindictive
• fictive
• magnetostrictive