What does operative mean?

Definitions for operative
ˈɒp ər ə tɪv, ˈɒp rə tɪv, ˈɒp əˌreɪ tɪvop·er·a·tive

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word operative.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. secret agent, intelligence officer, intelligence agent, operativenoun

    a person secretly employed in espionage for a government

  2. private detective, PI, private eye, private investigator, operative, shamus, sherlockadjective

    someone who can be employed as a detective to collect information

  3. operativeadjective

    being in force or having or exerting force

    "operative regulations"; "the major tendencies operative in the American political system"

  4. surgical, operativeadjective

    relating to or requiring or amenable to treatment by surgery especially as opposed to medicine

    "a surgical appendix"; "a surgical procedure"; "operative dentistry"

  5. operativeadjective

    effective; producing a desired effect

    "the operative word"

  6. running(a), operative, functional, working(a)adjective

    (of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing

    "in running (or working) order"; "a functional set of brakes"

GCIDE

  1. Operativenoun

    One who acts as an agent of another, especially a detective or spy.

Wiktionary

  1. operativenoun

    An employee or other worker with some particular function or skill.

  2. operativenoun

    A spy, secret agent, or detective.

  3. operativenoun

    A participant of an operation.

  4. operativeadjective

    Effectual or important.

    He's usually in a good mood the operative word there being "usually". Today was a disaster.

  5. operativeadjective

    Functional, in working order.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Operativeadjective

    Having the power of acting; having forcible agency.

    Etymology: from operate.

    To be over curious in searching how God’s all-piercing and operative spirit distinguishing gave form to the matter of the universal, is a search like unto his, who not contented with a known ford, will presume to pass over the greatest rivers in all parts where he is ignorant of their depths. Ral.

    Many of the nobility endeavoured to make themselves popular, by speaking in parliament against those things which were most grateful to his majesty; and he thought a little discountenance upon those persons would suppress that spirit within themselves, or make the poison of it less operative upon others. Edward Hyde.

    In actions of religion we should be zealous, active and operative, so far as prudence will permit. Taylor.

    This circumstance of the promise must give life to all the rest, and make them operative toward the producing of good life. Decay of Piety.

    It holds in all operative principles, especially in morality; in which, not to proceed, is certainly to go backward. South.

    The will is the conclusion of an operative syllogism. John Norris.

Entomology

  1. Operative

    in working order or actually working.

Matched Categories

How to pronounce operative?

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of operative in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of operative in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of operative in a Sentence

  1. Renato Mariotti:

    This indictment could be very important from a political perspective, you now have the former chairman of the Trump campaign charged with conspiring with a suspected Russian intelligence operative. That's quite astounding.

  2. Fox News:

    They’re given these conjured-up quotes, and it comes from a nefarious source. Does this all sound familiar? And it’s not Deep Throat we’re talking about here, it’s a political operative that had an agenda.

  3. James Carville:

    The Democratic constituency is just like a herd of cows. All you have to do is lay out enough silage and they come running. That’s why I became an operative working with Democrats. With Democrats all you have to do is make a lot of noise, lay out the hay, and be ready to use the ole cattle prod in case a few want to bolt the herd.

  4. Jack Glaser:

    But when they're busy doing their job, they're distracted. The biases are still going to be operative and influence them unless you change the practices and the policies, the bottom line is we don't know how to change the biases in a meaningful, lasting way, because they're... the way we think normally and they're based on years of exposure. So in the absence of being able to change them, we need to change the way people make decisions and the way that they act.

  5. Ryan Williams:

    [Parscale] is a capable political operative who also is someone trusted by the Trump inner circle and understands the uniqueness of the Trump organization and Trump himself.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

operative#10000#10303#100000

Translations for operative

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"operative." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 May 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/operative>.

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