transactional

American

[tran-sak-shuh-nuhl, -zak-] / trænˈsæk ʃə nəl, -ˈzæk- /

adjective

of or relating to the process of conducting business.

A leading authority on ethical issues in commercial practice, she has designed classes and materials to teach students transactional skills.
of or relating to personal or social interaction characterized by mutual influence and exchange.

The teacher questioned each pair of students in turn about the transactional nature of the role play—how their partner's statements or behavior shaped their own.
of or relating to an attitude in which personal interaction revolves around cost and benefit.

There is a shift toward a more transactional relationship between a synagogue and its congregants, where the focus is often on dues and program fees.

Other Word Forms

transactionally adverb

Etymology

Origin of transactional

transaction ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

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.

“And so it does have to go from like, ‘Oh, you’re the manny’ to waking up to each other as something other than this transactional thing with you babysitting.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

But then again, the alignment between Moscow and Tehran has always been transactional.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

And some see Zimbabwe's vast and untapped deposits of rare-earth minerals and the transactional nature of Trump's politics as key to unlocking the cash.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

If you give him one penny of your own money, it will open up a transactional codependence between you and this man, who is a virtual stranger.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026

There was a rigid transactional probity, it seems to say; there was also a high tide of inspiration.

From Italian Hours by James, Henry

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023