operational
Americanadjective
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able to function or be used; functional.
How soon will the new factory be operational?
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Military.
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of, relating to, or involved in military operations.
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on active service or combat duty.
All units of the command are operational.
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of or relating to operations or an operation.
adjective
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of or relating to an operation or operations
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in working order and ready for use
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military capable of, needed in, or actually involved in operations
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of operational
Explanation
If something is operational, it’s up and running and ready to go. If you’ve been waiting for a new skating rink to open, you’ll jump for joy when it’s finally operational. When something is operational, it's ready to use or is already in use. Don’t get on an elevator that’s not fully operational unless you like getting stuck. Any gadget being used is operational. If someone calls you and you pick up and talk, then both phones are operational. If the compost bin you’ve been working on is operational, go ahead and throw in the banana peels. Operational things are functional. If your skates are operational, lace up and go!
Vocabulary lists containing operational
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 13
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"CLEP Financial Accounting," Vocabulary from Chapter 14
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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.
Bunia in Ituri, and Butembo and Goma in North Kivu, are home to hundreds of thousands of people, yet none has a fully operational Ebola treatment centre five days into the declaration of the outbreak.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
The U.A.E. pipeline project is currently under construction and is expected to become operational in 2027, that country said.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
Israel's military chief Lieutenant Colonel Eyal Zamir called the killing a "significant operational achievement".
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
These were not national security reporters publishing operational secrets during wartime.
From Salon • May 16, 2026
Resolving the operational problems of late 1935 introduced a new occupational hazard for the Rad Lab staff: tedium.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
