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Operative: meaning, definitions and examples

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operative

 

[ ˈɒpərətɪv ]

Adjective / Noun
Context #1 | Adjective

medical

Relating to or involving surgical operations or procedures.

Synonyms

medical, operational, surgical

Examples of usage

  • The patient was taken to the operative room for emergency surgery.
  • The doctor explained the operative risks to the patient.
  • The nurse prepared the instruments for the operative procedure.
Context #2 | Noun

intelligence

A person who works for a secret service or intelligence agency.

Synonyms

agent, mole, spy

Examples of usage

  • The operatives gathered information on the enemy's activities.
  • She was recruited as an operative for the CIA.
  • The operatives infiltrated the terrorist cell.

Translations

Translations of the word "operative" in other languages:

🇵🇹 operativo

🇮🇳 संचालित

🇩🇪 betriebsbereit

🇮🇩 operasional

🇺🇦 оперативний

🇵🇱 operacyjny

🇯🇵 作動中の

🇫🇷 opérationnel

🇪🇸 operativo

🇹🇷 işler durumda

🇰🇷 작동하는

🇸🇦 تشغيلي

🇨🇿 operační

🇸🇰 operačný

🇨🇳 操作的

🇸🇮 operativen

🇮🇸 í gangi

🇰🇿 жұмыс істейтін

🇬🇪 ოპერატიული

🇦🇿 əməliyyatlı

🇲🇽 operativo

Word origin

The word 'operative' originated from the Latin word 'operativus', which means 'active, effective'. It first appeared in English in the late 16th century. Originally, it was used to describe something in a state of being active or in operation. Over time, the word evolved to also include the meanings related to surgery and intelligence operations.

See also: cooperate, inoperable, interoperable, operability, operable, operate, operated, operates, operating, operation, operational, operationally, operations.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #3,391, this word is part of upper-intermediate vocabulary. While not among the most basic terms, it appears often enough to be valuable for advanced communication.