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

Pepper-spray balls are typically the same caliber as recreational paintballs. —Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 11 June 2025

In the waning hours of a special session Tuesday morning, the Minnesota Senate gave final approval to a bill that includes a 50% increase of the state tax on recreational marijuana sales as regulators prepare to launch Minnesota’s legal cannabis market in the coming months. —Tribune Content Agency, Mercury News, 10 June 2025

Gaming was more strongly linked with negative outcomes than educational or recreational screen use. —Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025

Sports Coast Athletic, playful, and packed with recreational entertainment Where Is The Sports Coast? —Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 8 June 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