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
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 12 May 2025
The reporters decided to publish Cohen’s name to illustrate the unsavory methods political operatives utilize to badmouth opponents.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 2 May 2025
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
Edge computing presents its own set of challenges in industrial environments, and enterprises must take into account the operative aspects of managing on-site applications across numerous locations, often with varying degrees of connectivity and resource availability.
—Carl Moberg, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operative
Noun
Pic will tell the true story of British Intelligence operatives using unprecedented strategic operations that fool Nazi leadership, ultimately changing the course of World War II.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 12 May 2025
The reporters decided to publish Cohen’s name to illustrate the unsavory methods political operatives utilize to badmouth opponents.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 2 May 2025
Adjective
But not necessarily a death trap: Yelena, troubled ex-Captain America John Walker (Wyatt Russell), stealthy operative Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and skilled killer Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) are all lured to a remote location to eliminate each other.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
Edge computing presents its own set of challenges in industrial environments, and enterprises must take into account the operative aspects of managing on-site applications across numerous locations, often with varying degrees of connectivity and resource availability.
—Carl Moberg, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operative
Noun
-
North Korea has repeatedly failed to launch military spy satellites.—
Choe Sang-Hun,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
-
This was a real group of spies that pretended to be Southern and infiltrated the South and became friends and colleagues.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Check out this exclusive clip from the new season, in which the detectives try to help a bird colony on the seashore track down a missing egg.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
20 May 2025
-
Van Buren County Sheriff's detectives took two years to put together their case.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
20 May 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
-
It's powered by the fast and efficient S10 chip and boasts tons of health, fitness, and lifestyle features, including GPS workout recording, ECG, sleep and cycle tracking, music, podcast, and third-party app support.—
Cierra Cowan,
PC Magazine,
24 May 2025
-
Life hacks are methods for making daily tasks easier, more efficient, or more enjoyable.—
Paul McClure
May 24,
New Atlas,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
My dad was a crime scene detective, my mom was an undercover narcotics agent, and my stepfather was an FBI agent.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
23 May 2025
-
The agents, most of which are set to be available by the end of 2025, can perform a variety of tasks; one handles sourcing and procurement, while another creates and manages quotes and still another orchestrates stock and handles in-store inventory details.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
However, investigators are still working to determine what sparked the violence.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
24 May 2025
-
Eliott Simpson, senior aviation accident investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the plane departed from Teterboro, New Jersey, at about 11:15 p.m. on May 21 and flew to Wichita, Kansas.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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Duties include developing and executing operational analysis strategies, along with leading modeling and wargaming efforts.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 May 2025
-
During operational missions, SpaceX plans to bring both Super Heavy and Ship back to Starbase for launch-tower catches.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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The university was accused of failing to establish effective mechanisms for combatting antisemitism until last summer.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
23 May 2025
-
Rather than finding an effective means to stop LLMs from following instructions included in untrusted content—something no one has managed to do yet—GitLab is mitigating the harm that can result from this behavior.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Operative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operative. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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