tactical

adjective

tac·​ti·​cal ˈtak-ti-kəl 

1

: of or relating to combat tactics: such as

a(1)

: of or occurring at the battlefront

a tactical defense

a tactical first strike

(2)

: using or being weapons or forces employed at the battlefront

tactical missiles

b

of an air force : of, relating to, or designed for air attack in close support of friendly ground forces

2

a

: of or relating to tactics: such as

(1)

: of or relating to small-scale actions serving a larger purpose

(2)

: made or carried out with only a limited or immediate end in view

b

: adroit in planning or maneuvering to accomplish a purpose

tactically

ˈtak-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• advisable
• desirable
• expedient
• judicious
• politic
• prudent
• wise

Examples of tactical in a Sentence

They gained a tactical advantage by joining with one of their competitors.

He made a serious tactical error.

The planes provided tactical air support for the soldiers on the ground.

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike tactical nukes, drones do not produce fallout. —Lorenz Meier, TIME, 13 Aug. 2024

The better move might be to play a more tactical and targeted version of Trump’s game. —Matthew Kirschenbaum, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2024

Police, a tactical team and K-9 unit were not able to find the two suspects Sunday night but recovered an AK-47 and shell casings from the scene. —Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 15 Aug. 2024

Congress was notified of the impending sale, which includes more than 50 F-15 fighter jets, Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs, 120-millimeter tank ammunition and high explosive mortars and tactical vehicles. —Tara Copp, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

tactic entry 1 or tactic entry 2 + -al entry 1

Note: An early use by the mathematician and occultist John Dee in his preface to Henry Billingsley's translation of Euclid's Elements (1570) is perhaps directly from Greek taktikós + -al entry 1.

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

tactical

adjective

tac·​ti·​cal ˈtak-ti-kəl 

: of or relating to tactics

tactically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb