strategic

[ struh-tee-jik ]
See synonyms for strategic on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of strategy: strategic movements.

  2. important in or essential to strategy.

  1. (of an action, as a military operation or a move in a game) forming an integral part of a stratagem: a strategic move in a game of chess.

  2. Military.

    • intended to render the enemy incapable of making war, as by the destruction of materials, factories, etc.: a strategic bombing mission.

    • (of a weapon) long range, as an intercontinental ballistic missile: Strategic nuclear weapons were the linchpin of the Mutual Assured Destruction doctrine at the height of the Cold War.: Compare tactical (def. 3).

    • essential to the conduct of a war: Copper is a strategic material.

Origin of strategic

1
First recorded in 1815–25; from Greek stratēgikós, equivalent to stratēg(ós) “general” (see strategy) + -ikos -ic
  • Sometimes stra·te·gi·cal [struh-tee-ji-kuhl] /strəˈti dʒɪ kəl/ .

Other words for strategic

Other words from strategic

  • stra·te·gi·cal·ly, adverb
  • non·stra·te·gic, adjective
  • non·stra·te·gi·cal, adjective
  • un·stra·te·gic, adjective
  • un·stra·te·gi·cal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for strategic

strategic

strategical

/ (strəˈtiːdʒɪk) /


adjective
  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of strategy

  2. important to a strategy or to strategy in general

  1. (of weapons, attacks, etc) directed against an enemy's homeland rather than used on a battlefield: a strategic missile; strategic bombing

Derived forms of strategic

  • strategically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012