tactical
[tak-ti-kuh l]
- 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.
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Origin of tactical
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
diplomaticcalculatedclevercunningdeliberateplannedpoliticprudentskillfulsmartwell-plannedExamples from the Web for tactical
Contemporary Examples
“So, about good for one tactical burst,” the first Air Force official said.
The “tactical” side of artillery—its use on a battlefield—was something Jackson was not called upon to explain.
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 PakistanUmar 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.
Historical Examples
Qy.: Are any of these tactical improvements by Xenophon himself?
CyropaediaXenophon
Before I went away the tactical situation was explained to me.
Pushed and the Return PushGeorge Herbert Fosdike Nichols, (AKA Quex)
On tactical grounds alone the change of procedure was desirable.
William Pitt and the Great WarJohn Holland Rose
The Prussians suffered a strategic, though not a tactical defeat.
Lectures on the French RevolutionJohn Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton
It was a question the "tactical department" could not answer, but it thought volumes.
Starlight RanchCharles King
tactical
- 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
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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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper