operative

About 12.42 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. adjective Effectual or important.

   He's usually in a good mood — the operative word there being "usually". Today was a disaster.

2. adjective Functional, in working order.
3. adjective Having the power of acting; hence, exerting force, physical or moral; active in the production of effects.

   an operative motive

4. adjective Producing the appropriate or designed effect; efficacious.

   an operative dose, rule, or penalty

5. adjective Based upon, or consisting of, a surgical operation or operations. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}

   operative surgery

6. noun An employee or other worker with some particular function or skill.
7. noun A spy, secret agent, or detective.
8. noun A participant in an operation.

Similar words

operant in effect operating operational functioning working functional effective significant important

Often followed by

in societies movement and society treatment procedure procedures mortality

Word family

operatively operativeness operativenesses operatives