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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of operative
Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 25 June 2025
In 2022, Zhu was recruited to help Li’s other operatives set up businesses and bank accounts near Los Angeles in exchange for $70,000.
—Cezary Podkul, ProPublica, 25 June 2025
EW.com, 21 June 2025
Breast cancer patients who undergo post operative hormonal blockers can be thrown really quickly into intense hot flashes, according to Dr. Lang.
—Chloe Castleberry, Flow Space, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for operative
Noun
Last year, federal authorities charged three Iranian operatives with trying to hack Trump’s presidential campaign.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 25 June 2025
In 2022, Zhu was recruited to help Li’s other operatives set up businesses and bank accounts near Los Angeles in exchange for $70,000.
—Cezary Podkul, ProPublica, 25 June 2025
Adjective
Fresh off her Oscar win for 2001's Monster's Ball, Halle Berry's next step was to join the James Bond franchise in 2002's Die Another Day as NSA operative Jinx.
—EW.com, 21 June 2025
Breast cancer patients who undergo post operative hormonal blockers can be thrown really quickly into intense hot flashes, according to Dr. Lang.
—Chloe Castleberry, Flow Space, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for operative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operative
Noun
-
For those who don't know, Area 51 is a large, secretive military base in the remote Nevada desert where several exotic military aircraft have been developed and tested over the years, including the venerable U-2 spy plane way back when.—
Jim Clash,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
-
Israel’s spy service conducted elaborate sabotage operations on Iranian soil.—
Nabih Bulos
Foreign Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
The victim’s relatives showed detectives a photo of Ackerman and the victim in the same area the victim’s body had been located, according to an affidavit.—
Caroline Zimmerman
July 7,
Kansas City Star,
8 July 2025
-
Meanwhile, back at the Marine Mammal Care Center, the scientific detective work is about to begin.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
8 July 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
-
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
-
By having the facility on site, SpaceX hopes to make the delivery of those gases more efficient by eliminating the need to have dozens of trucks deliver them from Brownsville.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 July 2025
-
Organizations that focus on integrating their systems may see faster, more efficient reporting, centralized information management and a comprehensive view of progress toward goals.—
Cynthia Tee,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
The fish-out-of-water tale follows Mia, a young and spoiled New York heiress sent by her grandfather to Palermo, without money or luxuries, to work as a real estate agent in the family business.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
10 July 2025
-
Six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay or benefits on Wednesday in the wake of the shooting, the agency confirmed.—
Alexis McAdams,
FOXNews.com,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
But in Hartig’s formal response posted to the body’s website on Wednesday, July 9, Hartig revealed her own bevy of concerns with judicial investigators and county prosecutors alike.—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
11 July 2025
-
In its lawsuit, the agency’s investigators said Frost’s company, First Liberty Building and Loan, lied to investors about lending high-interest loans to small firms.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
The current longest-running planetarium in the southern hemisphere is in Montevideo, Uruguay, operational since 1955.—
Martin Bush,
Space.com,
5 July 2025
-
This system keeps the robot operational around the clock, which is crucial in production environments where downtime can be costly.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
The United States plans to bring back a somewhat shocking, but very effective, campaign to fight a flesh-eating parasitic fly that's been sighted in Mexico.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
-
Montana workers rank No. 48 for productivity in terms of economic output per job, and state worker training programs are the least effective in terms of recipients finding employment within six months.—
Scott Cohn,
CNBC,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Operative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operative. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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