- 1[not usually before noun] ready to be used; in use synonym functional This law becomes operative immediately. The station will be fully operative again in January.
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- 2[only before noun] (medical) connected with a medical operation operative treatment see postoperative Idioms
used to emphasize that a particular word or phrase is the most important one in a sentence I was in love with her—“was” being the operative word.
Check pronunciation: operative