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 Kansas City Fire Department will celebrate the life and service of a first responder who died this week after a battle with occupational cancer. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2026

Jamil Mohammad, a 42-year-old occupational therapist, had his children Jad and Joury in tow. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

The International Labor Organization’s 2025 update on occupational exposure treats generative AI as a task-level force, not a simple job-killing machine. — Gleb Tsipursky, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026

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