occupational

adjective

oc·​cu·​pa·​tion·​al ˌä-kyə-ˈpā-sh(ə-)nəl 

1

: of or relating to a job or occupation

occupational choices

occupational training/skills

occupational safety

Physiatrists commonly treat back and neck pain and other musculoskeletal problems, including sports injuries and occupational problems like repetitive stress injury.

—C. Claiborne Ray

2

: relating to or engaged in the military occupation of a country

served as part of an occupational force

occupational troops

occupationally adverb

Examples of occupational in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The former White House communications director reflects on his record for occupational brevity being broken. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2026

Students can stack them on top of Cal Grant C, the state financial aid program for occupational training programs, to fund their workforce education. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026

States can help by pruning occupational licensing requirements and making credentials modular and stackable, so short qualifications add up into longer ones. — Eric Kutcher, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026

Researchers looked at a wide range of possible culprits behind neck pain, including demographic, occupational, lifestyle, postural, technology and psychological factors. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

occupation + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing occupational

• occupational hazard
• occupational therapy

Rhymes for occupational

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

Kids Definition

occupational

adjective

oc·​cu·​pa·​tion·​al

ˌäk-yə-ˈpā-shnəl, 

-shən-ᵊl

: of or relating to one's occupation

a report on occupational health and safety

occupationally

-ē

adverb

Medical Definition

occupational

adjective

oc·​cu·​pa·​tion·​al ˌäk-yə-ˈpā-shnəl, -shən-ᵊl 

: relating to or being an occupational disease

occupational asthma

occupationally

-ē 

adverb