operational

adjective

op·​er·​a·​tion·​al ˌä-pə-ˈrā-sh(ə-)nəl 

1

: of or relating to operation or to an operation

the operational gap between planning and production

2

: of, relating to, or based on operations

3

a

: of, engaged in, or connected with execution of military or naval operations in campaign or battle

b

: ready for or in condition to undertake a destined function

operationally adverb

Synonyms of operational

• operating
• operative
• functioning

Examples of operational in a Sentence

The new airport should be fully operational by next year.

The computer network is now operational.

Recent Examples on the Web

According to XPeng, onboard inference is designed to reduce latency, allowing IRON to process information and respond to its environment more quickly while also keeping operational data on the robot. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026

Any charity work the couple undertakes will be carried out in a private capacity, and operational security decisions are matters for the relevant police agencies, the letter adds. — Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026

But a recent decline in funding compounded with rising operational costs and a non-sustainable building lease have led the organization to shut down this fall, according to Longwith. — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2026

The lawsuit said 4 13 Solutions promised the wind farm would be operational by December 2024, but Kituwah had seen no evidence the project even existed just a month before that date. — ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

operation + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing operational

• pre-operational

Rhymes for operational

• aspirational
• avocational
• calculational
• combinational
• computational
• conformational
• confrontational
• congregational
• conversational
• correlational
• deformational
• derivational

Kids Definition

operational

adjective

op·​er·​a·​tion·​al ˌäp-ə-ˈrā-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

1

: of or relating to operation or an operation

2

: ready for operation

Legal Definition

operational

adjective

op·​er·​a·​tion·​al ˌä-pə-ˈrā-shə-nəl 

: ministerial