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Proactive vs Adaptive - What's the difference?

proactive | adaptive |

As adjectives the difference between proactive and adaptive

is that proactive is acting in advance to deal with an expected change or difficulty while adaptive is of, pertaining to, characterized by or showing adaptation; making or made fit or suitable.

proactive

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • 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.The good grammar guide, by Richard Palmer, 2003, p. 157 Depending on use, alternatives include active, or “show initiative” instead of “be proactive ”.

    Synonyms

    * anticipatory * forward-looking

    Antonyms

    * reactive

    Derived terms

    * proactively * proactivity * proactiveness

    References

    * The Word Detective, Issue of February 5, 2001 ----

    adaptive

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of, pertaining to, characterized by or showing adaptation; making or made fit or suitable.
  • * {{quote-book, author=Charles Darwin, title=, year=1859
  • , passage=The real affinities of all organic beings, in contradistinction to their adaptive resemblances, are due to inheritance or community of descent.}}
  • * {{quote-book, author=C. Lloyd Morgan, title=, year=1896
  • , passage=That variation of germinal origin is a fact in organic nature is admitted on all hands, and that some variations are adaptive is also unquestioned.}}
  • Capable of being adapted or of adapting; susceptible of or undergoing accordant change.
  • (psychology) Of a trait: that helps an individual to function well in society.
  • Synonyms

    * (capable of being adapted) adaptable * adaptative

    Derived terms

    (Derived terms) * adaptively * adaptiveness * adaptivity * adaptive beamformer * adaptive behaviour * adaptive bridge * adaptive clothing * adaptive coding * adaptive communications * adaptive compression * adaptive enzyme * adaptive equalization * adaptive expectations * adaptive filter * adaptive hypertrophy * adaptive management * adaptive modulation * adaptive optics * adaptive predictive coding * adaptive radiation * adaptive resonance * adaptive reuse * adaptive routing * adaptive switching * adaptive system * adaptive technology * adaptive value * adaptive zone

    References

    * ----