recreational

adjective

rec·​re·​a·​tion·​al ˌre-krē-ˈā-shnəl 

-shə-nᵊl

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of recreation

a recreational area

recreational activities

2

: of or relating to recreational drugs or their use

a recreational drug user

Colorado's burgeoning marijuana industry had struggled under its own astonishing success since legal recreational sales began Jan. 1.

—David Migoya

recreationally adverb

Examples of recreational in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Officials are now working on drafting new rules and licensing regulations that would change that, creating a new type of marijuana business allowed in the city after voters legalized recreational marijuana statewide in 2022. —Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025

Major projects in cities like Mississauga and Vaughan are transforming large tracts of land into walkable neighborhoods that blend residential, commercial and recreational spaces. —John Krpan, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Those include medication, cleaning products, supplements and recreational marijuana products. —Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025

New gyms in Oakland, Harlem, and other areas aren’t just meeting recreational demand—they’re creating spaces where young people can literally and metaphorically reach new heights. —Skylar Mitchell, Essence, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

recreation + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing recreational

• recreational drug
• recreational vehicle

Rhymes for recreational

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