Agent and Operative

Agent

Agent noun - A person who acts or does business for another.
Usage example: the sports agent negotiated a record-breaking contract for the baseball player
Show all Definitions
Synonyms for Agent

Operative is a synonym for agent in spy topic. In some cases you can use "Operative" instead a noun "Agent", when it comes to topics like author, investigate, detective, doer. popular alternative

Nearby Words: agency, agential

Operative

Operative noun - A person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country.
Usage example: CIA operatives take terrible risks to find out the secrets of foreign countries

Agent is a synonym for operative in investigate topic. You can use "Agent" instead a noun "Operative", if it concerns topics such as detective. popular alternative

How words are described

fellow fellow agent fellow operative
good good agent good operative
female female agent female operative
special special agent special operative
Other adjectives: elite, best, perfect, top, single, corrupt, loyal, rogue, young, trained, new, senior, federal, former, Nazi, retired, competent, undercover, covert, soviet.

Both words in one sentence

  • Removing the Earpiece When an agent or operative removes their communication earpiece, they're going to disobey an order, go rogue, or say something "off the record."
  • In the military, the phrase originally started as a check-box on Army after-action reports: Terminate without prejudice meant let an agent or operative go but allow possible future employment, terminate with prejudice meant that he was unsuitable for future employment.
  • Video Game / Parasite Eve 2 Aya herself even lampshades that it's much easier to introduce herself as an "FBI agent" instead of a MIST operative.
Cite this Source
Operative and Agent. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 20, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/agent/operative
Agent & Operative. N.p., 2016. Web. 20 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/agent/operative>.
Operative or Agent. 2016. Accessed July 20, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/agent/operative.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "agent" and "operative" have occurred on timeline