operatives

noun

someone who can be employed as a detective to collect information

a person secretly employed in espionage for a government

adjective

(of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing

effective

relating to or requiring or amenable to treatment by surgery especially as opposed to medicine

being in force or having or exerting force

Roots

opusoper- · Latin · work

Synonyms & related words for operatives

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Words related to operatives

Explore words related to operatives — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include operativeness, interoperative, nonoperative, operatively, surgical, undercover, infiltrator, overoperate. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does operatives come from?

The word operatives breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root oper-, from Latin opus (“work”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.