At its heart, "proactive" describes the act of controlling a situation by making things happen rather than waiting to respond after something has already occurred. It signifies taking initiative, anticipating future problems or needs, and acting in advance to deal with them. PROACTIVE meaning: 1. taking action by causing change and not only reacting to change when it happens: 2. taking…. Learn more. Proactive means taking action by causing change and not only reacting to change when it happens. Learn more about the meaning, usage and synonyms of proactive with Cambridge Dictionary. Master the word "PROACTIVE" in English: definitions, translations, synonyms, pronunciations, examples, and grammar insights - all in one complete resource.