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
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
Carol Tavris
Synonyms of predictive
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
Neat bows are tied — though at least one has been left loose in hopes, according to my own predictive analysis, of a second season.
—Robert Lloyd, Twin Cities, 30 Dec. 2025
All three share the underlying assumption that data and formal modeling can yield a predictive science.
—Jason Blakely, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Housing and its related financial activities are ripe to become an agentic industry — an efficient, integrated, and predictive ecosystem where the intelligent use of data creates certainty for borrowers and a competitive advantage for businesses.
—Geoff Green, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2025
Everbloom said that predictive control enables it to transform inconsistent waste streams into repeatable, high-performance fibers that rival traditional cashmere and wool—a technical hurdle that has historically limited the use of recycled materials in luxury applications.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predictive
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Robert Lloyd, Twin Cities, 30 Dec. 2025
All three share the underlying assumption that data and formal modeling can yield a predictive science.
—Jason Blakely, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Housing and its related financial activities are ripe to become an agentic industry — an efficient, integrated, and predictive ecosystem where the intelligent use of data creates certainty for borrowers and a competitive advantage for businesses.
—Geoff Green, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2025
Everbloom said that predictive control enables it to transform inconsistent waste streams into repeatable, high-performance fibers that rival traditional cashmere and wool—a technical hurdle that has historically limited the use of recycled materials in luxury applications.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predictive
Cite this Entry
“Predictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predictive. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.
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