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
Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 17 Jan. 2026
In 1977, Bea (Emilia Clarke) and Twila (Haley Lu Richardson) live in Moscow, working at the US Embassy while their husbands work as CIA operatives.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Dec. 2025
Balance is again the operative word in terms of interior design.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operative
Noun
Diaz-Canel was born after the 1959 Cuban Revolution and, although trained as a communist operative, never knew Fidel.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 17 Jan. 2026
In 1977, Bea (Emilia Clarke) and Twila (Haley Lu Richardson) live in Moscow, working at the US Embassy while their husbands work as CIA operatives.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Per Wired, the tests were a directive from the Treasury Department’s chief information officer and DOGE operative Sam Corcos, and were administered through HackerRank, a tool used by private sector tech companies to assess coding and programming skills of prospective hires.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Dec. 2025
Balance is again the operative word in terms of interior design.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operative
Noun
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For the first time, Pixar hired an outside director, Brad Bird, who drew inspiration from spy films and comic books from the 1960s.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Jan. 2026
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Fans might recognize her from the streamer's spooky period drama 1899 (2022) or its hit spy thriller Black Doves (2024–present).—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The current inspector general, Felix Jimenez, is a former homicide detective, but supporters of the changes note that much of his office’s work focuses on the nuts-and-bolts of government spending, including contracts and purchases.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
3 Feb. 2026
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The investigation into Reina began in January 2024, involving interviews about three dozen people and poring over thousands of credit card statements and other expense reports, said Sacramento County sheriff’s detective Monica Bustamante in an interview last week.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
3 Feb. 2026
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
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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
-
The logic is capital-efficient.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
One key tool is Triton, an open-source framework that helps developers write efficient AI code.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At the time, Border Patrol agents were conducting enforcement operations in the area when civilians blew whistles and shouted, forcing authorities to tell the crowd to stay on the sidewalk in order to steer clear of law enforcement activity.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
After another pause, the agent in the black beanie raises his gun again, and five more shots are fired.—
Yahya Abou-Ghazala,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The report showed that the crash — like most crashes — wasn’t caused by one issue but instead by a cascading series of problems, former NTSB investigator Anthony Brickhouse told The Charlotte Observer.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Jan. 2026
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Police soon cleared Piercy after his story checked out, and investigators say he could be heard on the 911 call doing CPR and trying to save Katlyn.—
Megan Kelly Brown,
CBS News,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Especially to help contribute to our significant capital and operational costs, and even some of our more unusual but rare £130 losses.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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This includes deploying multiple AI agents that mirror real operational workflows and drive efficiency across clinical, administrative, and financial domains.—
David Chou,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The company’s rapid integration technique is quick, low-cost and effective.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
-
How often to do this workout Even doing one set of each exercise once a week can be effective for the first three months of training.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Operative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operative. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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