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Proactive vs Assertive - What's the difference?

proactive | assertive |

As adjectives the difference between proactive and assertive

is that proactive is acting in advance to deal with an expected change or difficulty while assertive is boldly self-assured; confident without being aggressive.

proactive

English

(wikipedia 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

    Related terms

    * proact * proactor

    References

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

    assertive

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • boldly self-assured; confident without being aggressive

    • Derived terms

    * assertiveness