Operative
Operative noun - A person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons.
Usage example: set in the 1930s, the novel is about a washed-out operative working for a third-rate detective agency
Plainclothesman and operative are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Plainclothesman" instead a noun "Operative".
Plainclothesman
Plainclothesman noun - A detective who wears civilian clothes on duty.
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Synonyms for Plainclothesman
Operative and plainclothesman are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Operative" instead a noun "Plainclothesman".
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
- agent and operative
- agent and plainclothesman
- spy and operative
- spy and plainclothesman
- investigator and operative
- investigator and plainclothesman
- detective and operative
- detective and plainclothesman
- gumshoe and operative
- gumshoe and plainclothesman
- dick and operative
- dick and plainclothesman
- private detective and operative
- private detective and plainclothesman
Cite this Source
Plainclothesman and Operative. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/operative/plainclothesman
Operative & Plainclothesman. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/operative/plainclothesman>.
Plainclothesman or Operative. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/operative/plainclothesman.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "operative" and "plainclothesman" have occurred on timeline