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

This means the new owners will have more time to take advantage of the numerous cultural and recreational offerings nearby. —James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026

In 2025, legislative investigators found the $10 million that had been diverted from a Medicaid overbilling settlement into DeSantis’ campaign against the recreational marijuana initiative. —Martin Dyckman, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026

These personalities make golfing more interesting, but the smart money is increasingly flowing to the recreational side of one of America’s favorite pastimes. —Dallas Morning News, 22 Mar. 2026

The fear is that the fish – weighing up to 100 pounds and eating 10% of their weight in algae every day – could alter ecosystems and collapse recreational and commercial fishing throughout the Great Lakes. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 21 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