strategic
Americanadjective
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pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of strategy.
strategic movements.
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important in or essential to strategy.
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(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.
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Military.
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intended to render the enemy incapable of making war, as by the destruction of materials, factories, etc..
a strategic bombing mission.
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(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.
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essential to the conduct of a war.
Copper is a strategic material.
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adjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of strategy
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important to a strategy or to strategy in general
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(of weapons, attacks, etc) directed against an enemy's homeland rather than used on a battlefield
a strategic missile
strategic bombing
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Every candidate enters a contest with a backstory and a record, which is condensed to a summary that serves as calling card, strategic foundation and a rationale for their run.
From Los Angeles Times
"It is alarming that militants, with coordinated manpower and strategic acumen, have now reached the provincial capital," he added.
From Barron's
Reducing head count growth without visibly degrading service quality has become a strategic priority.
From Barron's
The government has proposed to scale up manufacturing in seven strategic sectors including semiconductors, data centres, textiles and rare earths, amid slowing private investments and a flight of foreign capital from India.
From BBC
He said foreign investors would likely be increasingly cautious about committing capital "to strategic infrastructure projects in the United States' backyard."
From Barron's
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.
