tactical

[tak-ti-kuh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tactical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to tactics, especially military or naval tactics.

characterized by skillful tactics or adroit maneuvering or procedure: tactical movements.

of or relating to a maneuver or plan of action designed as an expedient toward gaining a desired end or temporary advantage.

expedient; calculated.

prudent; politic.

Origin of tactical

First recorded in 1560–70; tactic + -al¹

Related formstac·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·tac·ti·cal, adjectivenon·tac·ti·cal·ly, adverbun·tac·ti·cal, adjectiveun·tac·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for tactical

diplomatic, calculated, clever, cunning, deliberate, planned, politic, prudent, skillful, smart, well-planned

Examples from the Web for tactical

Contemporary Examples of tactical

“So, about good for one tactical burst,” the first Air Force official said.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019
Dave Majumdar
December 31, 2014
The “tactical” side of artillery—its use on a battlefield—was something Jackson was not called upon to explain.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor
S. C. Gwynne
November 29, 2014
They thought in their minds the drones had a tactical advantage, so they allowed them to continue for quite some time.
Obama’s Deadly Informants: The Drone Spotters of Pakistan
Umar Farooq, Syed Fakhar Kakakhel
November 12, 2014
The Russian Air Force also flew additional sorties over the Baltic Sea with tactical strike fighters on Oct. 29.
Are Russian Bombers Flying Nuclear Drills Near Europe—Or Just Testing NATO’s Defenses?
Dave Majumdar
October 30, 2014
Nobody really has the control in the tactical environment.
Air Force Pilots Say They're Flying Blind Against ISIS
Dave Majumdar
October 10, 2014

Historical Examples of tactical

Qy.: Are any of these tactical improvements by Xenophon himself?
Cyropaedia
Xenophon
Before I went away the tactical situation was explained to me.
Pushed and the Return Push
George Herbert Fosdike Nichols, (AKA Quex)
On tactical grounds alone the change of procedure was desirable.
William Pitt and the Great War
John Holland Rose
The Prussians suffered a strategic, though not a tactical defeat.
Lectures on the French Revolution
John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton
It was a question the "tactical department" could not answer, but it thought volumes.
Starlight Ranch
Charles King

British Dictionary definitions for tactical

tactical

adjective

of, relating to, or employing tacticsa tactical error

(of weapons, attacks, etc) used in or supporting limited military operationsa tactical missile; tactical bombing

skilful or diplomatica tactical manoeuvre

Derived Formstactically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tactical

adj.

1560s, from Modern Latin tactica (see tactics); in reference to nuclear weapons (opposed to strategic) it is recorded from 1957. Related: Tactically.