operative
noun [ C ] uk/ˈɒp.ər.ə.tɪv/ us/ˈɑː.pɚ.ə.t̬ɪv/
formal工人;（尤指）技工
a worker, especially one who is skilled in working with their hands
a factory operative 工厂技工
mainly US密探;特工人员
a person who works secretly for an organization
a CIA operative 中央情报局特工
operative
adjective formal uk/ˈɒp.ər.ə.tɪv/ us/ˈɑː.pɚ.ə.t̬ɪv/
(in use)
有效的;实施中的;使用中的
working or being used
The agreement will not become operative until all members have signed. 所有的成员都签字后协议才会生效。
Opposite: inoperative
(medical)
medical specialized和手术有关的
relating to a medical operation
an operative technique 手术技术
Idiom
the operative wordidiom 关键词;最重要的词
the most important word in a phrase, which explains the truth of a situation
He was a painter - "was" being the operative word, since he died last week. 他曾经是位画家——“曾经”是关键词，因为他上周去世了。