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

Bence is an occupational therapist with a range of work experience in mental healthcare settings. —Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 5 Mar. 2026

Roughly 140,000 residents work as software developers — more than a third of California’s total and the region’s largest occupational group, according to the Index. —Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2026

Anyone appointed to the military police force has to complete army or air military police occupational training, according to the bill. —Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026

The firm works with Italian nonprofit organization Cooperativa Alice, which was founded in 1992 in Milan with the aim of promoting the social and occupational reintegration of disadvantaged people — in particular women in prison or victims of violence and mothers in difficulty. —Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 27 Feb. 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