operative

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adjective op·er·a·tive \ ˈä-p(ə-)rə-tiv , ˈä-pə-ˌrā- \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of operative

1 a :producing an appropriate effect :efficacious

operative techniques

b :most significant or essential

the operative word in a phrase

the operative facts

2 :exerting force or influence :operating

an operative statute

3 a :having to do with physical operations (as of machines)

operative skills

b :working

an operative craftsman

4 :based on or consisting of an operation

operative dentistry

The disease may require operative treatment.

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operatively

adverb

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operativeness

noun

See operative defined for English-language learners

See operative defined for kids

Examples of operative in a Sentence

The factory must pass inspection before it becomes operative.
The telephone system is now fully operative.
If I go, I will bring a salad. “If,” however, is the operative word, since I am not sure that I can go.

Recent Examples of operative from the Web

Private is the operative word; the $22 million facility is located on the far side of the airport, away from public terminals and paparazzi.

— adam popescu, Vanities, "Inside the Private, Celebrity-Friendly Terminal at LAX," 16 Aug. 2017
Private is the operative word; the $22 million facility is located on the far side of the airport, away from public terminals and paparazzi.

— adam popescu, vanityfair.com, "Inside the Private, Celebrity-Friendly Terminal at LAX," 16 Aug. 2017
Uneventful is the operative word as baseball's first half comes to an end Sunday.

— paul sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "Baseball's best and worst from an uneventful first half of 2017," 7 July 2017
Well, whatever logic went into that thinking apparently is not operative anymore.

— jorge l. ortiz, USA TODAY, "MLB All-Star Game: Selections show modern game is in constant state of flux," 3 July 2017
As part of Indy's post-operative rehabilitation while he was being fostered by inmates at the Northeast Reintegration Center, Indy began holistic treatment and therapy at Dancing Paws, including chiropractic massage and water therapy.

— roxanne washington, cleveland.com, "Indiana Bones Pit Bull puppy who was beaten now has a home," 3 July 2017
And while some members of the younger generations have opted to pursue film careers, journalistic endeavors, and even low-key lives of relative obscurity (relative being the operative word here), a few are trying their hand at the family business.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "There's a New Generation of Kennedys in Politics," 29 June 2017
On Sept. 3, 2003, federal agents raided the offices of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) in Burlingame, Calif.

— tim layden, SI.com, "With BALCO behind him, Victor Conte is still hustling and loving every minute of it," 28 June 2017
And in some cases, the videos themselves do not fully show operative moments, leaving jurors to fill in the blanks.

— julie bosman, mitch smith and michael wines, New York Times, "Jurors Find Video Isn’t Providing 20/20 Vision in Police Shootings," 25 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'operative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of operative

Middle English operatif "active, working," borrowed from Late Latin operātīvus, from operātus, past participle of operārī "to work, be efficacious" + Latin -īvus -ive — more at operate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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operative Synonyms

operative

noun

Definition of operative

:operator: such as

a :artisan, mechanic

b :a secret agent

c :private investigator

d :a person who works toward achieving the objectives of a larger interest

political operatives

See operative defined for English-language learners

Examples of operative in a Sentence

CIA operatives take terrible risks to find out the secrets of foreign countries.
set in the 1930s, the novel is about a washed-out operative working for a third-rate detective agency

Recent Examples of operative from the Web

Wilson's identity as a CIA operative was leaked by an official in President George W. Bush's administration in 2003 in an effort to discredit her husband, Joe Wilson, a former diplomat who criticized Bush's decision to invade Iraq.

— Bloomberg.com, "Former CIA Agent Wants to Buy Twitter to Kick Trump Off," 23 Aug. 2017
That Stunned a Nation’: NBC News spoke with nearly a dozen campaign operatives for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to understand how the former secretary of state lost an election everyone expected her to win.

— elaine godfrey, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic Politics & Policy Daily: McConnell: Nothing to See Here," 23 Aug. 2017
Williams later said his remark had been misconstrued, but Shermichael Singleton, a young political operative who worked for Williams and became a top aide on Carson’s campaign, told me that Carson’s ambivalence was real.

— alec macgillis, Daily Intelligencer, "Is Anybody Home at HUD?," 22 Aug. 2017
While more veteran political operatives came and went—

— tina nguyen, vanityfair.com, "Trump’s New Communications Director Will Let Him Do the Talking," 16 Aug. 2017
Few Republican operatives believe that Pence would challenge Trump in the 2020 Republican primary election.

— ken thomas and steve peoples, Indianapolis Star, "Pence carves his own political ID, on behalf of Trump," 8 Aug. 2017
Drugs, nukes and animal operatives: Project MK-Ultra, the CIA’s infamous human mind control project, wasn’t the only thing that was going on in the ‘60s.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "The CIA Experimented On Animals in the 1960s Too. Just Ask ‘Acoustic Kitty’," 8 Aug. 2017
It was taken from the body of a dead British agent by the KGB operative who murdered him, and could now be for sale to the highest bidder.

— katie walsh, idahostatesman, "‘Atomic Blonde’ loses its punch in second half," 27 July 2017
The Coen Brothers’ black comedy echoes this unique period in history not only because of the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russian operatives, but the wider culture of deceit that made Donald Trump’s rise possible.

— jeet heer, New Republic, "We Are Living in the Coen Brothers’ Darkest Comedy," 15 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of operative

derivative of ¹operative

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1810

See Words from the same year

operative Synonyms

Synonyms

agent, asset, emissary, intelligencer, mole, spy, spook, undercover

Related Words

courier; counterspy, double agent, sleeper; infiltrator, informer, stool pigeon; spymaster, superspy

OPERATIVE Defined for English Language Learners

operative

play

adjective

Definition of operative for English Language Learners

: ready for use : capable of being used
: most important

operative

noun

Definition of operative for English Language Learners

: a person who does secret work for a government or political organization
: a person who does work that involves using tools, operating machinery, etc.

Medical Dictionary

operative

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adjective op·er·a·tive \ ˈäp-(ə-)rət-iv , ˈäp-ə-ˌrāt- \

medical Definition of operative

:of, relating to, involving, or resulting from an operation

operative treatment

operative mortality rates

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medical Definition of operative

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