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
Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 7 June 2025
The action-comedy casts him as a CIA agent who discovers that his daughter is also an undercover operative, and when they're forced to work together on cases things get more than a little awkward.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 6 June 2025
Marianne Eloise, Vulture, 10 May 2025
Indeed, secrets is the operative word, applied not only to these gifted designers but to the Petit Palais, whose collection of some 5,600 jewelry sketches and gouache renderings is barely known, even to specialists.
—Ruth Peltason, Air Mail, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operative
Noun
According to Smith, Michael Brandi, the SEEC’s former director, made the decision to focus those cases on the individual campaign operatives who were allegedly mishandling absentee ballots.
—Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 7 June 2025
The action-comedy casts him as a CIA agent who discovers that his daughter is also an undercover operative, and when they're forced to work together on cases things get more than a little awkward.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 6 June 2025
Adjective
The aunties then try — try being the operative word — to recreate their moves on the dancefloor at the conference, failing spectacularly.
—Marianne Eloise, Vulture, 10 May 2025
Indeed, secrets is the operative word, applied not only to these gifted designers but to the Petit Palais, whose collection of some 5,600 jewelry sketches and gouache renderings is barely known, even to specialists.
—Ruth Peltason, Air Mail, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operative
Noun
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Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and the head of Israel's spy agency, Mossad chief David Barnea, were also expected to meet with Witkoff.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
13 June 2025
-
Kennedy met with the CIA after a 1955 tour of the Soviet Union, relaying his observations to the spy agency as a voluntary informant, the documents show.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 June 2025
Noun
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And Natasha Lyonne, who plays amateur detective Charlie Cale, wears almost as many hats: actress, director, writer and producer.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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Jamie McBride is an LAPD detective with 35 years of experience on the force.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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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
-
An efficient storage system is a cost-effective storage system.—
Eric Herzog,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
-
The time cap helped J.J. stay focused and efficient.—
Nasha Smith,
People.com,
16 June 2025
Noun
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This is particularly crucial in real estate, where agents can provide guidance on flood zones, mitigation and insurance. 5.—
Frank Rojas,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
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Shortly before Christmas in 2022, principal owner John Henry flew to the Dominican Republic along with members of the Red Sox front office, including then chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, to meet with Devers and his agents.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
Noun
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Middle Street and Lake Avenue were closed for several hours while investigators were at the scene.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
17 June 2025
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Few people, other than the investigators, had been inside the Pulse building before this past week.—
Skyler Swisher,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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The spacecraft will then make their own way to their operational altitude of 392 miles (630 km).—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
23 June 2025
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It is expected to be delivered to the navy and become operational in June 2026 after completing tests and evaluations.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Podcasts are also an effective vehicle for incubating ideas that can be expanded in media such as TV, film and books, and for allowing promising talent to develop.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
16 June 2025
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Second, sugarcane is more effective at sequestering carbon than corn.—
SJ Studio,
Sourcing Journal,
16 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Operative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operative. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.
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