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OPERATIVE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Someone who can be employed as a detective to collect information
Synonyms:
operative; PI; private detective; private eye; private investigator; shamus; sherlock
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("operative" is a kind of...):
detective (an investigator engaged or employed in obtaining information not easily available to the public)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "operative"):
hotel detective; house detective; house dick (a private detective employed by a hotel or retail store)
inquiry agent (a private detective)
store detective (a private detective employed by a merchant to stop pilferage)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A person secretly employed in espionage for a government
Synonyms:
intelligence agent; intelligence officer; operative; secret agent
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Hypernyms ("operative" is a kind of...):
agent (a representative who acts on behalf of other persons or organizations)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "operative"):
agent-in-place (an operative serving as a penetration into an intelligence target)
agent provocateur; provocateur (a secret agent who incites suspected persons to commit illegal acts)
bridge agent (an operative who acts as a courier or go-between from a case officer to a secret agent in a hostile area)
case officer (an operative who also serves as an official staffer of an intelligence service)
codetalker; windtalker (a secret agent who was one of the Navajos who devised and used a code based on their native language; the code was unbroken by the Japanese during World War II)
foot (a member of a surveillance team who works on foot or rides as a passenger)
NOC (an undercover agent who is given no official cover)
spy; undercover agent ((military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors)
walk-in (an operative who initiates his own defection (usually to a hostile country) for political asylum)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Being in force or having or exerting force
Example:
the major tendencies operative in the American political system
Classified under:
Similar:
operant (having influence or producing an effect)
effective; good; in effect; in force (exerting force or influence)
in operation; operating; operational (being in effect or operation)
working (serving to permit or facilitate further work or activity)
Antonym:
inoperative (not working or taking effect)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing
Example:
a functional set of brakes
Synonyms:
functional; operative; running; working
Classified under:
Similar:
functioning (performing or able to perform its regular function)
Derivation:
operate (handle and cause to function)
operate (perform as expected when applied)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Relating to or requiring or amenable to treatment by surgery especially as opposed to medicine
Example:
operative dentistry
Synonyms:
operative; surgical
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
preoperative (happening or done before and in preparation for a surgical operation)
postoperative (happening or done after a surgical operation)
Derivation:
operate (perform surgery on)
operation (a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Effective; producing a desired effect
Example:
the operative word
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
important; significant (important in effect or meaning)
Context examples:
M. chelonae is a fast growing mycobacterium isolated from environmental, animal and human sources and is often associated with post-operative soft tissue infection.
(Mycobacterium chelonae, NCI Thesaurus)
This new moon will be operative for six months and act like background music to your life for a while, at least until May 2020.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
Many medical providers turn to opioids, such as morphine or fentanyl, for moderate to severe post-operative pain relief, but these often come with side effects that can interfere with recovery, including respiratory depression, inhibition of gut motility and constipation, nausea and vomiting.
(Chemical from cactus-like plant shows promise in controlling surgical pain, while leaving touch and coordination intact, National Institutes of Health)
All new moons are operative for two weeks, and the actions you take just after a new moon appears will have the power to affect you for a year or more.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
