Definition · foundations
agentic
agentic is the term for Able to seek results on its own, especially when used of AI. You can spot agentic in practice when the record shows what the system observes, what choice it makes, and what changes next, without asking the reader to guess or trust a slogan.
157 definitions656 sourced recordsNamed source: merriam-webster.com
Why does agentic matter?
The word tells you that the system can choose a next move, so you should ask what choices and limits sit behind the label. For agentic, start with three checks: What can the system observe? What choice can it make? What changes after it acts? The answers should point to visible evidence, not a promise.
What does agentic look like?
A research assistant decides to search a second source after the first one leaves a date unclear. This example makes agentic visible by naming the actor, the action, and the result in practice. It is an illustration for readers, not a claim that every product behaves this way.
What is agentic easy to confuse with?
Agentic is an adjective. An AI agent is the system that carries the behavior. The closest entries here are agent team, agentic AI, agentic commerce. Compare their definitions with agentic before using the names as if they mean the same thing. That comparison keeps agentic separate from nearby ideas without pretending the boundary is always perfect.
How certain is this definition?
This definition is marked source checked because merriam-webster.com supports its main points. The date shows when we last read that source. If you are making a purchase, policy, safety, or design decision, open the source first and make sure its limits fit the decision in front of you.
Who introduced the term agentic?
The source shows how agentic is used, but it does not prove who said it first. We name an origin only when a dated, direct record supports it. If that record is missing, we leave the question open instead of repeating a popular story as fact.
What should you understand before agentic?
Read artificial intelligence (AI) first when agentic depends on a more basic idea or mechanism. The link gives you a useful route through the glossary. It does not mean every author teaches the subject in this order, so follow the source when the sequence matters.
What should this term help you answer?
Use agentic to ask what an agent can observe, decide, change, remember, or hand off. The questions below turn the definition into a practical check. They are prompts for your own work, not claims made by the source, so change them to fit the system you are examining.
- What can the system observe?
- What choice can it make?
- What changes after it acts?
Which source supports this definition of agentic?
merriam-webster.com supports this working definition of agentic. We checked the link on 2026-07-12. Open the original record for its context, methods, limits, and publication details. The short explanation here is a guide to agentic; the linked source remains the evidence to inspect when the wording or boundary matters.
direct supportagenticChecked 2026-07-12→