What does "expeditionary" mean?

One who goes on expeditions, especially one who is a member of an expeditionary military force.

What is a synonym for "expeditionary"?

Common synonyms include: ambulatory, going, itinerant, journeying, locomotive, military.

Expeditionary

adj, noun

adj, noun ·6 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
One who goes on expeditions, especially one who is a member of an expeditionary military force. in-plural
"[...] turned out in its best attire to receive the Brazilian expeditionaries and the group of soldiers representing the gallant U.S. 10th Mountain Division."

Adjective

1
Of or pertaining to an expedition. not-comparable
2
Intended for military operations abroad. not-comparable
"an expeditionary force"

Adjective

1
(used of military forces) designed for military operations abroad wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

ambulatory going itinerant journeying locomotive military

Example

More examples

"Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you."

Etymology

From expedition + -ary.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.