Active
Active adjective - Being in effective operation.
Usage example: the abandoned factory had not been active for years
Operative is a synonym for active in movement topic. In some cases you can use "Operative" instead an adjective "Active", when it comes to topics like action, effective, in force, in operation. popular alternative
Operative
Operative adjective - Being in effective operation.
Usage example: the last operative bookbinder of its kind in the business
Active is a synonym for operative in in force topic. You can use "Active" instead an adjective "Operative", if it concerns topics such as movement, action. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Both words in one sentence
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The fact that Nigel is still considered the best even though he is still an active (undercover) operative angers Chad to no end, as Chad is obsessed with being the best.
Source: Driven by Envy - Meaningful Rename: Damaya takes the name "Syenite" when she passes her first ring test and becomes an active Fulcrum operative.
Source: Literature / The Fifth Season - In Vengeance, some of the nemeses have extra effects should their hero be active.(Such as The Hippo redirecting all damage Friction would take to himself, but only if his nemesis Haka is active.) Also, The Ennead share symbols, as do The Chairman and The Operative.
Cite this Source
Operative and Active. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/active/operative
Active & Operative. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/active/operative>.
Operative or Active. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/active/operative.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "active" and "operative" have occurred on timeline