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.
Postal Service to counteract its growing financial losses while the agency is “in the midst of the severe financial crisis amid rising operational costs.”
From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026
Jacob Stokes, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, said the launch shows China "is looking to consolidate its nuclear triad through more operational tests for what would be real-world use."
From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026
Communications Minister Anika Wells confirmed that welfare checks were being made for about three dozen calls to emergency services that did not go through but that the "core triple-zero system remains operational".
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026
Industrial production in Germany unexpectedly rose for a second consecutive month in May despite higher energy costs and operational uncertainty due to the conflict in the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026
For all that, Lawrence remained unmistakably the animating force at Livermore, which soon acquired the operational features of a classic Lawrence laboratory.
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.
