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

BHP "continues to believe that a combination with Anglo American would have had strong strategic merits and created significant value for all stakeholders," the firm said.

Read more on Barron's

“You have a vast strategic opportunity for the United States,” said Evan Ellis, a Latin America expert at the U.S.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It needs to refocus its priorities on strategic economic issues going forward, he said, noting "difficulties" in the G20 finding common approaches to armed conflicts around the world.

Read more on Barron's

This makes her exit possibly less a retirement and more a strategic repositioning.

Read more on Salon

Saudi state media boasted the country’s emergence as a major non-NATO ally for the U.S., and the signing of a so-called Strategic Defense Agreement as demonstrating Riyadh’s centrality to American strategic thinking.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• critical 
• important 
• key 
• vital