Synonyms of operatives

operatives

noun

plural of operative

1

as in spies

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

• spies
• agents
• assets
• informers
• moles
• emissaries
• spooks
• undercover agents
• undercovers
• secret agents
• couriers
• infiltrators
• intelligencers
• sleepers
• counterspies
• double agents
• stool pigeons
• spymasters
• superspies

2

as in detectives

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

• detectives
• investigators
• sleuths
• private detectives
• dicks
• gumshoes
• private investigators
• private eyes
• sleuthhounds
• shadows
• trackers
• sherlocks
• tracers
• hawkshaws
• shamuses
• plainclothesmen
• feds
• narcs
• tails
• G-men
• Federals

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of operatives

Wild Horse Nine stars Malkovich and Rockwell as two CIA operatives who travel from Santiago, Chile, to Easter Island amid the tense lead-up to the South American nation’s 1973 coup. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026

Israel continues to clash with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and Hamas operatives in Gaza, while the Houthis have attacked ships in the Red Sea. — Arsalan Shahla, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026

That year, a Russian helicopter pilot who defected was killed in Spain — with Russian operatives the prime suspects. — Claudia Ciobanu, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

And that same year, a Russian helicopter pilot who defected was killed in Spain - with Russian operatives the prime suspects. — CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

In one cemetery, families of deceased cartel operatives erected graves the size of suburban homes. — Kevin Sieff, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026

The Paramount+ spy thriller, now in its third season, follows Joe, the leader of the CIA’s covert Lioness Program, which recruits female operatives to befriend women connected to high-value terrorist targets. — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026

Mexican authorities have dismantled well over a thousand clandestine drug laboratories, seized enormous quantities of narcotics and fentanyl pills, arrested thousands of cartel operatives, and extradited major criminal figures to the United States. — Chris Shays, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026

Strong-arming Hamas With little progress in improving living conditions in Gaza and with Israel continuing to kill its operatives, Hamas has faced intense pressure in recent months to make further concessions. — Mkhaimar Abusada, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026