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

Balcerzak and Taylor walked through the recreational floors, pointing out how much work has been done, and how much is left. —Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026

Something similar to how Colorado was before recreational. —Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026

Boehne says this is not recreational hunting. —Janay Reece, CBS News, 13 Feb. 2026

Two days before the event, the lake was stocked with 2,000 pounds of rainbow trout by Wright’s Rainbows, a company based in Thacher, Idaho that specializes in supplying trout for recreational fishing ponds. —Amy Stark Shireman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 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