What is inductive & capacitive load?

Technically an Inductive Load has the current through it lagging the supply voltage across it by 90° and a Capacitive Load will have the current through it Leading at 90° in Advance of the supply voltage across it.

However, this is where the typical expression is wrong.
When most people mention Inductive or Capacitive Loads, they really imply a Resistive Load, with some element of Inductance or Capacitance. That is why others above, refer to the phase angle as being less than 90°.

The ratio of Resistive element and the Reactive element will determine the phase angle and Power Factor. Generally Motors and similar, working near their maximum power will show something in the order of 80% Resistive and 20% Inductive load. Now this is where another confusion comes in. If that same motor with the same voltage across it and rotating at about the same speed, now has little or no mechanical Load, then the Reactive element will still be about the same as before, but the Resistive element will be very much smaller, so it will look as if it has gone more reactive. Yes the % or power factor will appear to have increased, but that is somewhat misleading as it has not changed in terms of volts or current at 90° phase angle.

WHAT MEANS INDUCTIVE? JUST FOR FUN
The old humankind did know power transmission only with mechanical connection say a stick or cord. So the oldpaharaos thought the stars or planets were gods because they moved alone and without a stick. Talmud tavrat bible koran say this, it must be a god. We can't see it. But the lightning and sunshine were very disturbing but they explained it the sun is a god. (I am not atheist only an engineer now). And another question was how was possible to transmit power over endless far distances? The problem with this was that the mathematic in the bible didn't allow the "zero" or endless counts but koran. But pharao did see a fixstar. And thought the earth is not moving. After all in the year 1000 introduced then the catholic pope after mathematic study by muslims in seviilla spain the zero. It was needed because romean and greece and jewis mathematic doesn't have this. But only muslims.

NOW BEGUN THE MODERN MATHEMATİK AND ENGİNEERİNG İNFLUENCED FROM MUSLİMS. as first step kepler proofed that stars are not gods but are turning ellipsoidal and the fixstern from pharao isn't fix it is only endless far away (the consequence was the earth isn't fix and vatican isn't the center of the universum and adam and eva didn't exist and protestant church begun with say 3 millions dead people in crusades). As the next step behind Newton concluded that it must be a force between mechanical parts without a stick or cord. Also gravitation. as the last step English gentlemen faraday did find at Cambridge in 1839 by an experiment in the laboratorium that if he moves a magnet in a winding without mechanical connection an unseeable but existing force (similar gravitation) must be transmitted without a stick or cord (also it is not mechanical it is over an electrical magnetical field).
1 it was not mechanical
2. it wasn't gravitation
3. and faraday cried: eureka I find I got it is "INDUCTİVE" BECAUSE WİTHOUT A STİCK. it flows(duct) over air (it is ductil like old romean aequaduct)
4. and after 40 years maxwell cried. eureka I have find it can also flow not only induced by a magnetic field with a magnet but also an electrical field can load the air between to electrical wires it must be CAPABLE it is a cup a container it is CAPACİTY. but i dont know if it is real only mathematical equations are showing this, he said.
5. and 10 years after heinrich hertz showed in Germany that it is correct, heaviside corrected the equations from maxwell in 1896 and marconi did build the first radioantenna in 1901. in 1933 the telegrafiecabel from England to India was then replaced by radioconnections and Germany could begin the worldwar2 against Russia because the German telegrafeline over Russia and Armenia was not needed now. The user was England. Armenians and Russian soldiers did cut all time the cable.

BUT THE REAL INVENTOR WAS QUEEN VICTORIA. SHE DID SAY IF SOMEBODY CAN REACH INDIA OVER AIR SHE WOULD PAY 30000 POUND. I exclude every guarantee for any claims because of this infos. Read if you want or let it. it is only my own conclusions after a bookreadsummer at the university in my youth. you can't read this all easily you would need 2-4 languages, latin, german, french, old semitic languages, aaaand english. it is only just for fun or if you want to be a priest or professor.