 4 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
operative
adjective
1: being in force or having or exerting force; "operative
regulations"; "the major tendencies operative in the
American political system" [ant: {inoperative}]
2: of or relating to a surgical operation; "operative surgery"
3: relating to or requiring or amenable to treatment by surgery
especially as opposed to medicine; "a surgical appendix";
"a surgical procedure"; "operative dentistry" [syn: {surgical}]
[ant: {medical}]
4: effective; producing a desired effect; "the operative word"
[syn: {key}]
5: (of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing; "in
running (or working) order"; "a functional set of brakes"
[syn: {running(a)}, {functional}, {working(a)}]
noun
1: a person secretly employed in espionage for a government
[syn: {secret agent}, {intelligence officer}, {intelligence
agent}]
2: someone who can be employed as a detective to collect
information [syn: {private detective}, {PI}, {private eye},
{private investigator}, {shamus}, {sherlock}]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Operative \Op"er*a*tive\, noun
1. A skilled worker; an artisan; esp., one who operates a
machine in a mill or manufactory.
2. One who acts as an agent of another, especially a
detective or spy.
[PJC]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Operative \Op"er*a*tive\, adjective [Cf.L. operativus, F. op['e]ratif.]
1. Having the power of acting; hence, exerting force,
physical or moral; active in the production of effects;
as, an operative motive; operative laws.
It holds in all operative principles. --South.
2. Producing the appropriate or designed effect; efficacious;
effective; as, an operative dose, rule, or penalty.
3. (Surg.) Based upon, or consisting of, an operation or
operations; as, operative surgery.
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
134 Moby Thesaurus words for "operative":
Bow Street runner, CIA man, FBI, FBI agent, Federal, G-man,
Secret Service, Sherlock Holmes, T-man, accessible, active, actor,
agent, alive, architect, armipotent, artisan, author,
authoritative, cloak-and-dagger operative, cogent, conductor,
counterintelligence agent, counterspy, craftsman, craftswoman,
creator, detective, doer, double agent, driver, dynamic, effective,
effectual, efficacious, efficient, employable, employee, energetic,
engineer, espionage agent, executant, executor, executrix, eye,
fabricator, fed, forceful, forcible, functional, functionary,
functioning, go, gumshoe, hand, handler, high-potency,
high-powered, high-pressure, high-tension, hotel detective,
house detective, house dick, in force, in power, inquiry agent,
inside man, intelligence agent, investigator, irresistible,
laborer, live, machinist, maker, manipulator, mechanic, medium,
mighty, mighty in battle, military-intelligence man, mover, narc,
naval-intelligence man, operant, operation, operational, operator,
performer, perpetrator, pilot, plainclothesman, police detective,
potent, powerful, practicable, practical, practitioner, prepotent,
prime mover, private detective, private eye, private investigator,
producer, puissant, reconnoiterer, revenuer, roustabout, ruling,
runner, running, scout, secret agent, shamus, sleuth, spotter, spy,
spy-catcher, steersman, store detective, striking, strong, subject,
telling, treasury agent, undercover man, usable, valid, vigorous,
vital, worker, workhand, working, workingman, workman
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