tactical
Americanadjective
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of or relating to tactics, especially the placement of military or naval forces in battle or at the front line of a battle.
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characterized by skillful tactics or adroit maneuvering or procedure, especially of military or naval forces.
tactical movements.
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(of a weapon) short range, as battlefield missiles.
A tactical nuclear weapon would still present significant risks to battlefield troops on both sides of the conflict.
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of or relating to a maneuver or plan of action designed as an expedient toward gaining a desired end or temporary advantage.
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expedient; calculated.
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prudent; politic.
adjective
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of, relating to, or employing tactics
a tactical error
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(of weapons, attacks, etc) used in or supporting limited military operations
a tactical missile
tactical bombing
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skilful or diplomatic
a tactical manoeuvre
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tactical
Explanation
A tactical move on the military's part is one that is carefully planned and often small in scale, but important in getting control of an area. Tactical comes from the Greek taktike techne meaning "art of arrangement." When something is tactical, it is artfully arranged, or planned. This most often refers to military or naval operations, but it doesn't have to. When someone does something with a goal that is beyond the immediate result of his action, that can be seen as a tactical move. For example, renovating your kitchen might be a tactical move if you're planning to eventually sell your house and want to increase its property value.
Vocabulary lists containing tactical
Ender's Game
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 7
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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.
“There is a lot of things we do well, and we do similar, but a couple of differences too,” Jovic noted of their baseline-centric, tactical styles.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2026
“Does failure to raise these issues enhance our ability to deal with Turkey on the many critical strategic, critical tactical issues with which we have to deal? My assessment there is no, not a bit.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 4, 2026
Tuchel's team selections have been a mixture of tactical tinkering, working around injuries and managing minutes, as well as devising the formulas for England's progress.
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026
“But we argue fundamentals and visibility into 2027 and 2028 are improving creating a tactical buying opportunity for one of the best positioned AI companies around,” Nowak said.
From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026
While they recounted and sported, I pretended study, regimental discipline at that early date not having yet surrendered to the negligence of tactical despair.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
