Operational

//ˌɒp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃə.nəl// adj

adj ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or relating to operations, especially military operations.

    "Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.[…]Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today."

  2. 2
    Functioning and ready for use.

    "Princess Leia, before your execution, you will join me at a ceremony that will make this battle station operational. No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now."

  3. 3
    Effective or operative.
  4. 4
    Determined by means of practical measures.
Adjective
  1. 1
    being in effect or operation wordnet
  2. 2
    (military) of or intended for or involved in military operations wordnet
  3. 3
    fit or ready for use or service wordnet
  4. 4
    pertaining to a process or series of actions for achieving a result wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
effectivein operationactingactiveagentialagentival

Example

More examples

"At present "consume all consumable resources" is assigned as the operational meaning of TETRA."

Etymology

From operation + -al.

Related phrases

non-operationaloperational analysisoperational calculusoperational definitionoperational encirclementoperational exhaustionoperational fatigueoperational researchoperational service periodoperational taxonomic unitpre-operational

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