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

Cannabis sales in Michigan began to plateau around August 2024, coinciding with the launch of Ohio’s recreational market. —The Detroit News, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

That portion of the trail is more heavily used by joggers, casual walkers and recreational bikers. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025

An unknown amount of diesel fuel leaked from a 40-foot recreational boat in Newport Harbor on Saturday until the spill was contained on Sunday morning, Aug. 3, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said. —Brian Rokos, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025

Authorities considered three possibilities: forestry and nature conservation, agricultural use, or recreational use, which entailed filling the pits with water. —Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 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