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Definition of proactively

proactively

/proʊˈæk.tɪv.li/
pro · ac · tive · ly
Adjective:proactive
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proactively Lexical Profile

proactively Game Scores & Validity

• adverb

1

In a manner that creates or controls a situation by causing something to happen or preparing in advance, rather than merely responding to it after it has occurred.

Example

"The engineering team worked proactively to identify and fix potential security vulnerabilities before the software launch."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for proactively
Antonyms
View all antonyms for proactively

• Rhymes for proactively

• Nearby Words

pro-gun
proabortion
proactive
proactively
proactivity
probability
probable

Word Origin & Etymology

Formed in the mid-20th century from 'proactive' plus '-ly'; 'proactive' was coined by psychologist Paul Leipert (1933) by combining the Latin prefix 'pro-' (before, forward) with 'active', on the model of 'reactive'.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Proactively. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/proactively
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