Dec 08 2019 28
Probative is an adjective that means done for the purpose of testing or trying.
Probative is derived from the Latin word probare (pro BAR ay) meaning ‘to prove’ or ‘to test.’ Depending on its context, it can either be a synonym of exploratory or it can mean ‘intending to confirm.’
An example of the first meaning would be: After our probative additions to the menu, we determined that our customers didn’t like curly fries with their meal, after all.
For the second meaning an example is: The doctors were fairly certain that I was fine. After a few probative tests, they confirmed that I was.
