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
Etymology
Origin of strategic
First recorded in 1815–25; from Greek stratēgikós, equivalent to stratēg(ós) “general” ( see strategy) + -ikos -ic
Explanation
Desperate to trap Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote comes up with a strategic plan, meaning a plan designed to achieve a specific goal. Strategic is a military word, relating to the careful plotting and planning necessary to win battles. But you don't need to be a general to think strategically. If you recruit your friends to talk you up to the girl you have a crush on, you're taking a strategic approach to romance.
Vocabulary lists containing strategic
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Excerpt from "Flipped"
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Ronald Reagan, "Tear Down This Wall" (1987)
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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.
While the deal could strengthen MISC’s position in the floating production, storage and offloading market and improve access to future Petronas projects, the strategic benefits might take time to materialize, it adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
"I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports," Wenger said at the time.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026
It is aiming to reduce that by $1 billion “by streamlining and optimizing our enterprise-wide spend, as well as strategic utilization of our expanded global portfolio to promote our key projects and initiatives.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
It is a role Attalah sees as even more vital given Cairo's strategic importance.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026
What Hamilton seemed to see in Burr, then, was a man very much like himself in several respects: ambitious, energetic, possessing an instinctive strategic antenna and a willingness to take political risks.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
