operative

CEFRB2

/ˈɒpəɹətɪv/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Working or having an effect.

  2. 02

    noun

    A person working secretly for an organization.

Examples

  • An undercover operative infiltrated the organization.

  • Sami was an undercover police operative.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
3

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Functional, in working order.

  2. Having the power of acting; hence, exerting force, physical or moral; active in the production of effects.

  3. Effectual or important.

More examples

In context

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

  • an operative dose, rule, or penalty

  • an operative motive

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The trained CIA blank was secretly sent on a dangerous mission abroad.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English operative, operatyfe, from Middle French operatif (modern French opératif) or its etymon Latin operātīvus. By surface analysis, operate + -ive.