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Speculative vs Operative - What's the difference?

speculative | operative |

As adjectives the difference between speculative and operative

is that speculative is while operative is effectual or important.

As a noun operative is

an employee or other worker with some particular function or skill.

speculative

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Characterized by speculation; based on guessing or unfounded opinions.
  • *
  • *:"Don't dare laugh at us!" smiled his sister. "I wish we were back in Tenth Street. But so many children cameand the Tenth Street house wasn't half big enough; and a dreadful speculative builder built this house and persuaded Austin to buy it. Oh, dear, and here we are among the rich and great; and the steel kings and copper kings and oil kings and their heirs and dauphins. Do you like the house?"
  • *{{quote-news, year=2011, date=June 4, author=Phil McNulty, work=BBC
  • , title= England 2-2 Switzerland , passage=Tranquillo Barnetta was the grateful beneficiary of uncertain England defending and poor goalkeeping from Joe Hart as he twice saw speculative free-kicks end in the back of the net in the first half.}}

    Derived terms

    * speculativeness

    See also

    * conjectural

    operative

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Effectual or important.
  • He's usually in a good mood — the operative word there being "usually". Today was a disaster.
  • Functional, in working order.
  • Having the power of acting; hence, exerting force, physical or moral; active in the production of effects.
  • an operative motive
  • * South
  • It holds in all operative principles.
  • Producing the appropriate or designed effect; efficacious.
  • an operative dose, rule, or penalty
  • Based upon, or consisting of, a surgical operation or operations.
  • operative surgery

    Derived terms

    * operative word

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An employee or other worker with some particular function or skill.
  • A spy, secret agent, or detective.
  • A participant of an operation.
  • Anagrams

    * ----