strategic

American  

[struh-tee-jik] / strəˈti dʒɪk /

Sometimes strategical

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.

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strategic British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of strategic

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

Example Sentences

But the larger issue is the strategic choice itself.

From Salon

With humanoid robots, “China is once again mobilizing state support, supply-chain depth, and rapid commercialization to build a new strategic sector,” said Sunny Cheung, a fellow for China studies at the Jamestown Foundation.

From The Wall Street Journal

"The goal is to determine whether or not they actually deliver cost-effective strategic education for future senior leaders when compared to, say, public universities and our military graduate programs," he said.

From Barron's

When in Beijing last month, Carney met Chinese President Xi Jinping and heralded an improved era in relations -- saying the two countries had struck a "new strategic partnership" and a preliminary trade deal.

From Barron's

In November, Yum! said in a statement it was launching a “review of strategic options” for the Pizza Hut brand and hinted that it was considering a sale.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• critical
• important
• key
• vital