strategic

Sometimes stra·te·gi·cal

[struh-tee-jik]

adjective

1. pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of strategy.

   strategic movements.

2. important in or essential to strategy.

   Synonyms: principal, key, crucial, critical, opportune

3. (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.

4. Military.

   1. intended to render the enemy incapable of making war, as by the destruction of materials, factories, etc..

      a strategic bombing mission.

   2. (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.

   3. essential to the conduct of a war.

      Copper is a strategic material.

strategic

/ strəˈtiːdʒɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of strategy

2. important to a strategy or to strategy in general

3. (of weapons, attacks, etc) directed against an enemy's homeland rather than used on a battlefield

   a strategic missile

   strategic bombing

Other Word Forms

• strategically adverb
• nonstrategic adjective
• nonstrategical adjective
• unstrategic adjective
• unstrategical adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of strategic¹

First recorded in 1815–25; from Greek stratēgikós, equivalent to stratēg(ós) “general” ( strategy ) + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

"Our children deserve better than perpetual crisis; they deserve strategic planning, adequate resources and the dignity of advance preparation."

From BBC

“A coup d’état does not result from isolated acts or individual demonstrations lacking coordination, but rather from the actions of organized groups, equipped with resources and strategic capacity to confront and replace the incumbent power.”

From Salon

Any instability in the country is a cause of concern for India because of Nepal's strategic location.

From BBC

Derry and Strabane Council said the "steer" from elected members of the governance and strategic planning committee last week had been communicated to the DfC and it would be making no further comment.

From BBC

In 2020, James abruptly resigned from the News Corp. board, citing “disagreements over certain editorial content published by the company’s news outlets and certain other strategic decisions.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• critical 
• important 
• key 
• vital