| Noun | 1. | operative - a person secretly employed in espionage for a governmentagent - a representative who acts on behalf of other persons or organizations agent-in-place - an operative serving as a penetration into an intelligence target bridge agent - an operative who acts as a courier or go-between from a case officer to a secret agent in a hostile area case officer - an operative who also serves as an official staffer of an intelligence service codetalker, windtalker - a secret agent who was one of the Navajos who devised and used a code based on their native language; the code was unbroken by the Japanese during World War II foot - a member of a surveillance team who works on foot or rides as a passenger NOC - an undercover agent who is given no official cover spy, undercover agent - (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors walk-in - an operative who initiates his own defection (usually to a hostile country) for political asylum | |
| 2. | operative - someone who can be employed as a detective to collect informationdetective - an investigator engaged or employed in obtaining information not easily available to the public store detective - a private detective employed by a merchant to stop pilferage | |
| Adj. | 1. | operative - being in force or having or exerting force; "operative regulations"; "the major tendencies operative in the American political system" | |
| 2. | operative - of or relating to a surgical operation; "operative surgery" | |
| 3. | operative - relating to or requiring or amenable to treatment by surgery especially as opposed to medicine; "a surgical appendix"; "a surgical procedure"; "operative dentistry" | |
| 4. | operative - effective; producing a desired effect; "the operative word"significant, important - important in effect or meaning; "a significant change in tax laws"; "a significant change in the Constitution"; "a significant contribution"; "significant details"; "statistically significant" | |
| 5. | operative - (of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing; "in running (or working) order"; "a functional set of brakes"functioning - performing or able to perform its regular function; "a functioning flashlight" | |