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
Tail and operative are semantically related. in private eye topic. In some cases you can use "Tail" instead a noun "Operative". informal substitute
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
Both words in one sentence
-
They've got one seriously ticked off Operative on their tail and the Reavers are descending upon the ship.
Source: Darkest Hour
Cite this Source
Tail and Operative. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 22, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/operative/tail
Operative & Tail. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/operative/tail>.
Tail or Operative. 2016. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/operative/tail.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "operative" and "tail" have occurred on timeline