Adjacent Words

Operative definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

OP'ERATIVE, a.
1. Having the power of acting; exerting force, physical or moral; having or exerting agency; active in the production of effects.
In actions of religion we should be zealous, active and operative, so far as prudence will permit.
It holds in all operative principles, especially in morality.
2. Efficacious; producing the effect.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: being in force or having or exerting force; "operative regulations"; "the major tendencies operative in the American political system" [ant: inoperative]
2: relating to or requiring or amenable to treatment by surgery especially as opposed to medicine; "a surgical appendix"; "a surgical procedure"; "operative dentistry" [syn: surgical, operative] [ant: medical]
3: effective; producing a desired effect; "the operative word"
4: (of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing; "in running (or working) order"; "a functional set of brakes" [syn: running, operative, functional, working] n
1: a person secretly employed in espionage for a government [syn: secret agent, intelligence officer, intelligence agent, operative]
2: someone who can be employed as a detective to collect information [syn: private detective, PI, private eye, private investigator, operative, shamus, sherlock]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Date: 15th century 1. a. producing an appropriate effect ; efficacious b. most significant or essential <the operative word in a phrase> 2. exerting force or influence ; operating 3. a. having to do with physical operations (as of machines) b. working <an operative craftsman> 4. based on or consisting of an operation <operative dentistry> • operatively adverb • operativeness noun II. noun Date: circa 1810 operator: as a. artisan, mechanic b. a secret agent c. private detective d. a person who works toward achieving the objectives of a larger interest <political operatives>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 in operation; having effect. 2 having the principal relevance ('may' is the operative word). 3 of or by surgery. 4 Law expressing an intent to perform a transaction. --n. 1 a worker, esp. a skilled one. 2 US a private detective. Derivatives: operatively adv. operativeness n. Etymology: LL operativus f. L (as OPERATE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Operative Op"er*a*tive, a. [Cf.L. operativus, F. op['e]ratif.] 1. Having the power of acting; hence, exerting force, physical or moral; active in the production of effects; as, an operative motive. It holds in all operative principles. --South. 2. Producing the appropriate or designed effect; efficacious; as, an operative dose, rule, or penalty. 3. (Surg.) Based upon, or consisting of, an operation or operations; as, operative surgery.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Operative Op"er*a*tive, n. A skilled worker; an artisan; esp., one who operates a machine in a mill or manufactory.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(operatives) 1. A system or service that is operative is working or having an effect. (FORMAL) The commercial telephone service was no longer operative... ADJ: usu v-link ADJ 2. An operative is a worker, especially one who does work with their hands. (FORMAL) In an automated car plant there is not a human operative to be seen. N-COUNT 3. An operative is someone who works for a government agency such as the intelligence service. (mainly AM) Naturally the CIA wants to protect its operatives. N-COUNT 4. If you describe a word as the operative word, you want to draw attention to it because you think it is important or exactly true in a particular situation. As long as the operative word is 'greed', you can't count on people keeping the costs down... PHRASE: N inflects

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Acting, active, in action, in operation. 2. Effective, efficient, effectual, efficacious, serviceable, vigorous. 3. Practical. II. n. Laborer, artisan, laboring man, workman.

Moby Thesaurus

Bow Street runner, CIA man, FBI, FBI agent, Federal, G-man, Secret Service, Sherlock Holmes, T-man, accessible, active, actor, agent, alive, architect, armipotent, artisan, author, authoritative, cloak-and-dagger operative, cogent, conductor, counterintelligence agent, counterspy, craftsman, craftswoman, creator, detective, doer, double agent, driver, dynamic, effective, effectual, efficacious, efficient, employable, employee, energetic, engineer, espionage agent, executant, executor, executrix, eye, fabricator, fed, forceful, forcible, functional, functionary, functioning, go, gumshoe, hand, handler, high-potency, high-powered, high-pressure, high-tension, hotel detective, house detective, house dick, in force, in power, inquiry agent, inside man, intelligence agent, investigator, irresistible, laborer, live, machinist, maker, manipulator, mechanic, medium, mighty, mighty in battle, military-intelligence man, mover, narc, naval-intelligence man, operant, operation, operational, operator, performer, perpetrator, pilot, plainclothesman, police detective, potent, powerful, practicable, practical, practitioner, prepotent, prime mover, private detective, private eye, private investigator, producer, puissant, reconnoiterer, revenuer, roustabout, ruling, runner, running, scout, secret agent, shamus, sleuth, spotter, spy, spy-catcher, steersman, store detective, striking, strong, subject, telling, treasury agent, undercover man, usable, valid, vigorous, vital, worker, workhand, working, workingman, workman