1
as in spy
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country
CIA operatives take terrible risks to find out the secrets of foreign countries
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
set in the 1930s, the novel is about a washed-out operative working for a third-rate detective agency
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in operating
being in effective operation
the last operative bookbinder of its kind in the business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in efficient
producing or capable of producing a desired result
unfortunately, the operative amount of the medication and the lethal amount were too close for it to be used safely
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of operative
Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2025
In one case, operatives posing as art dealers interested in purchasing a work by a dissident artist secretly installed surveillance equipment in his workplace and a GPS tracker on his car.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
Kelly Iko, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Grants are earmarked for medical and vital living expenses, including insurance premiums, prescriptions, medical treatment and operative procedures, housing, food, utilities and other basic necessities.
—Andrea Zarczynski, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operative
Noun
Rather, Nick Badolato, a Brooklyn Conservative Party operative, collected signatures to run on the party’s line against Zhuang.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2025
In one case, operatives posing as art dealers interested in purchasing a work by a dissident artist secretly installed surveillance equipment in his workplace and a GPS tracker on his car.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Sloppy is the operative word here, and Udoka’s brief assessment spoke volumes.
—Kelly Iko, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Grants are earmarked for medical and vital living expenses, including insurance premiums, prescriptions, medical treatment and operative procedures, housing, food, utilities and other basic necessities.
—Andrea Zarczynski, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operative
Noun
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The payloads included a South Korean military radar spy satellite, a small commercial weather satellite, and the most interesting payload: an experimental reentry vehicle from a German startup named Atmos Space Cargo.—
Abigail Bassett,
ArsTechnica,
25 Apr. 2025
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Cassian is now a secret spy for the budding Rebel Alliance.—
Fidel Martinez,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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With the Farris Wheel starting to turn, detectives asked Scott if his father was having an affair.—
Susan Mallie,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2025
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Prosecutors also said detectives recovered video footage that suggests there may be dozens, if not hundreds, of women who were victimized.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Under Proposition 309, voters casting mail-in ballots could provide a driver's license or non-operating identification license number, the last four digits of a social security number, or a unique identifying number provided by the secretary of state for voter registration purposes.—
Arlyssa D. Becenti,
The Arizona Republic,
27 Oct. 2022
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The adjusted net income decreased by 8% y-o-y to $3.9 billion in the first nine months of 2022 due to higher expenses as a % of revenues and lower non-operating income.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes,
11 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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That same power play that had been so efficient through the first games of the series.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
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But the Clippers had no answer for Murray, who was efficient with his shooting, going 17 for 26 from the field and eight for 14 from three-point range.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The same source suggested to The Athletic that Sanders' refusal to hire an agent to represent him in an official capacity acted as a detriment.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Gibbs meets his red-headed real estate agent, Diane (Kathleen Kenny).—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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According to the documents, investigators secured a search warrant for footage from inside the school and saw Morrison encourage other students to mentally and physically abuse a child at the school.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
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On April 16, investigators determined her account was accessed from an IP address at a home where 44-year-old Maximilian Bondrescu lived.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The release in March highlighted that White and Khan would anchor the leadership for the platform, providing day-to-day operational expertise, management and oversight.—
Lillian Rizzo,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2025
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Impact: Reduction in operational bottlenecks, improved efficiency and better citizen service without increasing headcount.—
Buyan Thyagarajan,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, my go-to gentle yet effective cleansers are Pavitt’s face wash or IS Clinical’s.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
29 Apr. 2025
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Even after the suspension of some tariffs, U.S. consumers face the highest average effective tariff rate since 1909, the Yale Budget Lab found.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Operative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operative. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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