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

With real-world variation, the failure rate that had been a footnote turned into daily operational work. — Shivansh Inamdar, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026

The asset schedule lists about 100 million emails, 500 million Microsoft Teams items, code and operational records. — Wen Shao, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026

The rise of households with two working parents combined with frequent work travel and packed kids programming has created a demand for operational support, especially for those without family nearby to help. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

With expansion years away, solving current operational challenges is critical to the refinery’s pitch that the IPO will be a wealth creation platform for everyday Nigerians. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 14 Sep. 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