different between proactive vs interactive

English

Etymology

pro- +? active; originally coined 1933 by Paul Whiteley and Gerald Blankfort in a psychology paper, used in technical sense. Used in a popular context and sense (courage, perseverance) in 1946 book Man’s Search for Meaning by neuropsychiatrist Viktor Emil Frankl, in the context of dealing with the Holocaust, as contrast with reactive.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p????ækt?v/
• Rhymes: -ækt?v

Adjective

proactive (comparative more proactive, superlative most proactive)

1. Acting in advance to deal with an expected change or difficulty

Usage notes

Some consider proactive to be a buzzword, and it is associated with business-speak.

Depending on use, alternatives include active, preemptive, or “show initiative” instead of “be proactive”.

Synonyms

• anticipatory
• forward-looking

Antonyms

• reactive

Derived terms

• proactively
• proactivity
• proaction
• proactiveness

Related terms

• preactive
• proact
• proactor

Translations

References

• The Word Detective, Issue of February 5, 2001

French

Adjective

proactive

1. feminine singular of proactif

English

Etymology

inter- +? active

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?nt??ækt?v/
• Rhymes: -ækt?v

Adjective

interactive (comparative more interactive, superlative most interactive)

1. Interacting with or communicating with and reacting to each other; influencing or having an effect on each other; acting or capable of acting on each other or with the other.

   interactive teaching methods

   two interactive systems

2. (computer science) Responding to the user.

   interactive user interface

Derived terms

• interaction
• interactivity

Translations

Noun

interactive (plural interactives)

1. A feature (as in a museum) that can be interacted with.

French

Adjective

interactive

1. feminine singular of interactif