operational

adjective

op·​er·​a·​tion·​al ˌä-pə-ˈrā-sh(ə-)nəl 

1

: of or relating to operation or to an operation

the operational gap between planning and production

2

: of, relating to, or based on operations

3

a

: of, engaged in, or connected with execution of military or naval operations in campaign or battle

b

: ready for or in condition to undertake a destined function

operationally adverb

Synonyms of operational

• operating
• operative
• functioning

Examples of operational in a Sentence

The new airport should be fully operational by next year.

The computer network is now operational.

Recent Examples on the Web

Domain-specific models are emerging across industries, and open-weight models are creating new deployment and customization options for organizations with specific operational, regulatory or commercial requirements. — Sanjay Srivastava, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Once operational, the vehicle is expected to support microgravity experiments, allowing researchers to study how materials, fluids and biological samples behave during short periods of near weightlessness. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 27 July 2026

Flight 13 was the second launch Version 3 of the vehicle, the first iteration of the vehicle that's designed to be operational. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 27 July 2026

Emergency and commercial inventories are both now at or nearing operational stress levels, at which point physics no longer allows oil companies to easily pump oil out of storage into pipelines to get it to refineries. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 27 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

operation + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing operational

• pre-operational

Rhymes for operational

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

Kids Definition

operational

adjective

op·​er·​a·​tion·​al ˌäp-ə-ˈrā-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

1

: of or relating to operation or an operation

2

: ready for operation

Legal Definition

operational

adjective

op·​er·​a·​tion·​al ˌä-pə-ˈrā-shə-nəl 

: ministerial