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
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Holliday's final onscreen role was in 2010's Fair Game with Naomi Watts, based on the true story of CIA operative Valerie Plame.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2025
Suggested being the operative word.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operative
Noun
In 2010, Israeli operatives were successful in killing a senior Hamas operative in the United Arab Emirates.
—Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Holliday's final onscreen role was in 2010's Fair Game with Naomi Watts, based on the true story of CIA operative Valerie Plame.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Hammered is the operative word.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2025
Suggested being the operative word.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operative
Noun
-
This is mostly an over-the-top spy thriller with wild shootouts, great suspense and some really intense action, but this scene took it to another level entirely.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Padrino accused Washington of sharply intensifying aerial surveillance of Venezuela, citing a surge in spy flights last month.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Scott, McDonald and Neary were arrested, but Rackauckas and a Fullerton police detective persuaded Neary to testify against the other two men, according to the motion.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Reigle and her team tested about a dozen formulations and viscosities, playing detective to figure out where a whole host of issues was coming from.—
Megan McIntyre,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
This makes the AirLight Pro more efficient (less heat is lost to the air), less damaging (not as much heat is needed to dry your hair), and seriously speedy.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Japan lit the spark in 1964 with the iconic Shinkansen bullet trains, which showed the world that fast, safe, and efficient rail travel was possible.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In a video taken by a security camera at his mother's driveway, obtained by ABC News, a federal agent can be heard asking Gamez Lira to turn off the engine and to not resist.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The Blackhawks and Kaiser’s agent had been negotiating for some time this offseason, but neither side had been in a rush, with the 23-year-old Kaiser having no arbitration rights.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Boelter’s motivation remains unclear, but investigators found a one-and-a-half-page letter, described as rambling and difficult to read, that was ascribed to him.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
-
One of the main enforcers of H-2A rules, the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, last year had one of the lowest levels of investigators since the H-2A program was launched in the 1980s, Rutgers University researchers found.—
Max Blau,
ProPublica,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
After launch, the team transferred control of the Switchblade from a user in the MQ-9A’s ground control station to a user on the ground nearer the operational area.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
-
There’s no getting around Bryce Young’s three turnovers; no getting around the offense’s operational issues.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
By the summer of 2022, systems like the Bayraktar TB2 became less effective as air defenses increased and commanders began spreading their forces apart.—
Joseph Nepomuceno,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Sep. 2025
-
His teammate, quarterback Wyatt Nucci, was equally effective.—
Martin Henderson,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Operative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operative. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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