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Preposition after adjective

Strategic in or strategic about?

Strategic about is common when talking about careful planning. Strategic in appears before areas or activities where strategy is used.

Quick answer

Which preposition should you use?

Use strategic about when someone plans or acts carefully about a topic. Use strategic in when referring to the area, process, or activity where strategy is applied.

She is strategic about spending.
The company was strategic in its hiring decisions.
He became more strategic about networking.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
strategic about + topic

Planning carefully about something

Use strategic about for thoughtful decisions and planning.

They are strategic about expansion.
She stayed strategic about public comments.
2
strategic in + activity

Showing strategy within an activity

Use strategic in before fields, actions, or decision-making areas.

The team was strategic in negotiations.
He is strategic in choosing partners.
3
strategic with + resources

Managing resources carefully

Strategic with is also common when discussing the use of time, money, or tools.

We must be strategic with our budget.
She is strategic with her time.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
strategic about
The manager is strategic about communication.
Careful and planned regarding a topic.
strategic in
The company was strategic in marketing.
Using strategy within an activity or field.
strategic with
They are strategic with resources.
Using something carefully and efficiently.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using strategic about for a field

Use in for areas of activity.

✕ The firm is strategic about marketing. ✓ The firm is strategic in marketing.

Using strategic in before a topic of planning

Use about when discussing careful planning on a subject.

✕ She is strategic in her career moves. ✓ She is strategic about her career moves.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The board was very ___ long-term investments.
2. They were highly ___ negotiations.
3. She tries to be ___ her schedule.

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Frequently asked questions

Can strategic about and strategic in both be correct?

Yes, but the meaning changes. About focuses on planning around a topic, while in focuses on strategy within an activity.

Is strategic with common?

Yes. It is often used with resources such as time, money, or staff.

Can I say strategic at?

Strategic at is uncommon. English usually uses strategic in, about, or with depending on meaning.

sacred-to-in-by-of, for "sad for" or "sad about"? "safe for", "safe from" or "safe in"? sanguine about, in, of, on or for? "satisfactory to" or "satisfactory for"? satisfied with, of, by, in or on? "satisfying for" or "satisfying to"? scarce in, for, at, on or of? scared of, to, about, for or by? "scary for" or "scary to"? "scathing about", "scathing in" or "scathing of"? "sceptical about" or "sceptical of"?

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