recreational

adjective

rec·​re·​a·​tion·​al ˌre-krē-ˈā-sh(ə-)nəl 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of recreation

a recreational area

recreational activities

2

: of or relating to recreational drugs or their use

a recreational drug user

Colorado's burgeoning marijuana industry had struggled under its own astonishing success since legal recreational sales began Jan. 1.

—David Migoya

recreationally adverb

Examples of recreational in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The home also comes with a guest pass that grants access to Lake Tahoe Park, which means guests can enjoy the local beach and recreational courts. —Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2025

Delta 9, on the other hand, is the cannabinoid associated with medical and recreational marijuana legislation. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025

Arizona’s Safe and Smart Act, which made recreational cannabis use legal in 2020, does not explicitly allow public usage of cannabis in any form. —Nate Trela, AZCentral.com, 8 Dec. 2025

Jackson works for the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan as the program manager of Project Play, which builds a community around providing sports and recreational access for children, according to their website. —Dana Afana, Freep.com, 7 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

recreation + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing recreational

• recreational drug
• recreational vehicle

Rhymes for recreational

• aspirational
• avocational
• calculational
• combinational
• computational
• conformational
• confrontational
• congregational
• conversational
• correlational
• deformational
• derivational