reactive
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
acting only after something has happened, rather than planning for it before it happens.
characterised by a tendency to respond to events after they occur rather than initiating proactive measures.
Simple“The company was too reactive and only fixed the problem after customers complained.”
In context“A reactive management style often leads to crisis-driven decision-making, whereas a proactive approach identifies potential risks before they manifest as systemic failures.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
describing a substance that changes easily when it comes into contact with another substance.
readily taking part in chemical reactions; having a high degree of chemical activity.
Simple“Potassium is a highly reactive metal that must be stored in oil.”
In context“The laboratory technician warned that the compound was extremely reactive when exposed to even trace amounts of atmospheric moisture.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
related to parts of an electric circuit that store energy instead of just letting it flow through.
pertaining to a circuit or component characterised by induction or capacitance rather than pure resistance.
Simple“The engineer measured the reactive power to check the efficiency of the motor.”
In context“In AC power systems, reactive loads can cause the voltage and current to fall out of phase, necessitating the use of capacitors for power factor correction.”
Antonymsresistive
“We probably cannot build a completely pothole-free future, but we can move from reactive repair toward predicting and preventing them more effectively.”
From react + -ive.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.