recreational

adjective

rec·​re·​a·​tion·​al ˌre-krē-ˈā-sh(ə-)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

About 30 acres on the east side of the project area is slated to be a public/semi-public recreational area for New Life Academy, a private Christian school located at 6758 Bailey Road. —Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026

With their daring ascent of Mont Blanc, recreational mountaineering was born. —Sergei Poljak, Outside, 7 Mar. 2026

Often described as somewhere between darts and bowling, the venues typically hosted bachelor parties, team-building events and recreational leagues. —Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 7 Mar. 2026

It has been used as a military camp, garbage dump, and recreational area throughout its history. —Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026

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