occupational
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to an occupation, trade, or calling.
occupational guidance.
-
of or relating to occupation.
occupational troops.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of occupational
First recorded in 1840–50; occupation + -al 1
Explanation
If it has anything to do with your job, your work or your career, then you can describe it as occupational. Take the "al" off of occupational and you're left with occupation. So this adjective describes anything related to your occupation — you know, the professional work that keeps you occupied. You might hear people talk about "occupational hazards" — which can range from paper cuts to falling trees, depending on if you make a living filing or lumber-jacking.
Vocabulary lists containing occupational
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 4
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Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish
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"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even though the Occupational Safety and Health Administration had determined that Maddin was in the right, the trucking company kept appealing those decisions.
From Slate • May 13, 2026
At the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which investigates workplace injuries and deaths, about 460 people are still working, without pay, out of a staff of 1,664, the Labor Department said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025
She’d worked as a trainer for the Oregon Department of Human Services and later Oregon Occupational Safety and Health, where she taught people how to understand the statutes that guided their work.
From Salon • Aug. 17, 2025
But he was so concerned about Titan that he got in touch with the US government's Occupational Safety and Health Administration - OSHA.
From BBC • Aug. 6, 2025
There was a special number for each type of work in The United States Marine Corps Manual of Military Occupational Specialties.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
