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
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Recent Examples of operative
Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
What began as New Age chatter evolved into the Esalen Soviet-American exchange program, drawing in writers, political operatives—and KGB agents.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Special To The Sun-Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
Then, trace your finger to its peak, which, to me, was his starring role as smoldering special forces operative Scott McCoy in the 1986 action movie The Delta Force, co-starring a frail-looking but grizzled and unsmiling Lee Marvin in his last movie.
—John Devore, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for operative
Noun
Her government has handed over scores of cartel suspects to the United States, arrested hundreds of other cartel operatives and busted numerous illicit drug laboratories, among other steps.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
What began as New Age chatter evolved into the Esalen Soviet-American exchange program, drawing in writers, political operatives—and KGB agents.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
These laws are only required today because Democrats have put in place operative policies that allow for people who are not legal voters to be voting.
—Special To The Sun-Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
Then, trace your finger to its peak, which, to me, was his starring role as smoldering special forces operative Scott McCoy in the 1986 action movie The Delta Force, co-starring a frail-looking but grizzled and unsmiling Lee Marvin in his last movie.
—John Devore, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for operative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operative
Noun
-
Hong Kong — China’s top spy agency has come out of the shadows to warn that its young people are being duped by foreign forces into shirking hard work and prioritizing their individual emotions at the expense of national development.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
-
Lu’s lawyer, John Carman portrayed the case as a mundane bureaucratic blip, not an international spy thriller.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
That evening, a detective assigned to a robbery intervention detail tried to stop a black Mercedes-Benz at Northwest 17th Avenue and 71st Street, according to a MDSO video.—
Sofia Saric,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
-
His gift is an uncanny ability to solve crimes that leave the LAPD baffled, armed only with the savvy and dry humor reminiscent of the gumshoe detectives of the noir genre.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Exxon operates some of the wells directly and holds a financial, non-operating interest in the others.—
Rachel Nostrant,
Houston Chronicle,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Last year, though revenue and operating profit increased, non-operating red ink pushed the company into a full-year loss of NT$766 million, or $25 million.—
Russell Flannery,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Prioritizing projects near jobs and transit also lowers risk, making financing more efficient and accelerating production.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
-
These insights into dolphin propulsion offer a promising blueprint for the future of marine engineering, particularly in the development of faster, more energy-efficient underwater robots and advanced turbulence-control systems.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The 32-year-old Minter was coming off August 2024 hip labrum and microfracture surgery when the Mets signed him to a free-agent contract ahead of the 2025 season.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
-
Also, why did the other sub-agents not refuse?—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
After Lawhead’s arrest, investigators searched the house and found loaded firearms, a bag with $15,000 and a burner phone, the sheriff said.—
Alisha Ebrahimji,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
-
At one point, the 4-year-old lifted the blanket, exposing his bare stomach, and Berrios-Otero’s hand could allegedly be seen appearing to be below the child’s stomach area, an investigator wrote in the warrant affidavits.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
On September 15th, 1916, land warfare was forever revolutionized with the first operational appearance of the tank.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
1 May 2026
-
The Iran conflict has sent jet fuel costs soaring, devastating budget airlines such as Spirit that operate on razor-thin margins and cannot absorb higher operational expenses.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
While many components of Prop 103 have obviously been effective, some have been counterproductive and need reform.—
Steven Bradford,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
-
The company’s goal is to replace sprinklers, which are effective at stopping fires but can also do significant water damage to a property.—
Cyrus Farivar,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Operative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operative. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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