rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryoperativeSecret agent
noun

operative

AH-puh-ruh-tiv/ˈɑːpərətɪv/

A person who works secretly for an organization.

The operative discreetly watches a meeting from a distance.

Plainclothes operative discreetly observes a meeting from a distance, no weapons.
Etymology
operatLatinto work
+iveLatinhaving a tendency or function

The adjective meant ‘active’ or ‘working’ before becoming a noun for a worker or operator. Its secret-agent meaning probably arose through use as a title for private detectives.

In context

All World War Weapons7:42
The operative who placed the Gerard DeLeon suitcase in April 1943 survived returned to resistance work.
The “Suitcase Bomb” was built from a Suitcase and Train Spare Parts

More examples

  • Several operatives gathered information for the organization.
  • The agency withdrew its operative after the leak.
  • She played an undercover operative in the film.

Forms

operative · operatives

Similar words

agent
A broader representative role, which need not be secret.
spy
Spy specifically gathers secret information rather than performing any covert assignment.