ENGLISH
REFERENCE

operational

adj.
US //ˌɑpɝˈeɪʃənəɫ// UK //ˌɒpəɹˈeɪʃənəl// op·er·a·tional
  1. 1 working and ready (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    working correctly and ready to be used.

    functioning and ready for immediate use; in a state of practical readiness.

    Example

    The new hospital wing will be fully operational by the end of the month.

    Example

    Engineers worked through the night to ensure the power grid was fully operational before the morning commute began.
  2. 2 relating to business activities (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Academic

    relating to the daily activities or costs of running a business or organisation.

    pertaining to the routine activities, processes, or costs involved in running an organisation.

    Example

    The company is looking for ways to reduce its daily operational costs.

    Example

    The board focused on long-term strategy, leaving the day-to-day operational decisions to the local branch managers.
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  1. 3 military actions (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    relating to planned military actions or missions.

    relating to the planning and execution of specific military operations.

    Example

    The general refused to comment on current operational details for security reasons.

    Example

    The mission was aborted due to a significant breach in operational security that compromised the safety of the ground team.
  2. 4 measurable (adj.)
    C2 Proficiency Academic Technical Science

    defined by how something is measured or used in practice.

    defined in terms of the specific actions or operations used to measure or identify it.

    Example

    The researchers needed an operational definition of 'happiness' for their study.

    Example

    Before the experiment could proceed, the team had to establish an operational framework for measuring cognitive load under stress.
Origin

From operation + -al.

Word family

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