op·er·ant
ˈä-pə-rənt 
1
: functioning or tending to produce effects : effective
an operant conscience
2
: of or relating to the observable or measurable
3
: of, relating to, or being an operant or operant conditioning
operant behavior
operantly
adverb
: behavior (such as bar pressing by a rat to obtain food) that operates on the environment to produce rewarding and reinforcing effects
Examples of operant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ben Thomas, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2014
The current study investigated domestic cat preferences at the individual and population level using a free operant preference assessment.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2017
Bradfield probably could have parlayed that success into some sort of cushy position with Burnett, but his operant mode was reinvention.
—Susan Orlean, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2022
As such, mobile games have developed into monsters psychologically tuned to rip thousands out of players vulnerable enough to be operant conditioned into a game addiction.
—Clem Chambers, Forbes, 8 Nov. 2021
Jordan Fisher Smith, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
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Adjective
Researchers then had both groups compete against pain-free mice in a standard motivational test called a progressive ratio (PR) operant test, in which tasty treats become progressively harder to earn.
—Ben Thomas, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2014
The current study investigated domestic cat preferences at the individual and population level using a free operant preference assessment.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2017
Bradfield probably could have parlayed that success into some sort of cushy position with Burnett, but his operant mode was reinvention.
—Susan Orlean, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2022
As such, mobile games have developed into monsters psychologically tuned to rip thousands out of players vulnerable enough to be operant conditioned into a game addiction.
—Clem Chambers, Forbes, 8 Nov. 2021
Noun
Teams of female rats representing different colleges face off as part of the museum’s studies of operant and classical conditioning.
—Jordan Fisher Smith, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Operant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/operant. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
operant
1 of 2 adjective
op·er·ant
ˈäp-ə-rənt
: of, relating to, or being an operant or operant conditioning
operant behavior
compare respondent
operantly
adverb
operant
2 of 2 noun
: behavior (as bar pressing by a rat to obtain food) that operates on the environment to produce rewarding and reinforcing effects
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