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ADJ
運作（或運轉）著的；起作用的；產生影響的
A system or service that is operative is working or having an effect.
例句
The commercial telephone service was no longer operative...
商業電話服務已不再運營。
The Youth Training Scheme was operative by the end of 1983.
青年培訓計劃一直持續到1983年底。
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N-COUNT
工人；（尤指）技工，操作員
An operative is a worker, especially one who does work with their hands.
例句
In an automated car plant there is not a human operative to be seen.
在自動化汽車制造廠看不到一個工人。
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N-COUNT
特工；間諜；密探；情報人員
An operative is someone who works for a government agency such as the intelligence service.
例句
Naturally the CIA wants to protect its operatives.
美國中央情報局當然想保護其特工。
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PHRASE
關鍵詞
If you describe a word as the operative word, you want to draw attention to it because you think it is important or exactly true in a particular situation.
例句
As long as the operative word is 'greed', you can't count on people keeping the costs down...
只要“貪婪”仍是一切的出發點，就別指望人們會降低成本。
A small dram of whisky may be prescribed by doctors for those over 60 to help them sleep. It is vital though to emphasize that 'small' is the operative word.
醫生可以建議60歲以上的老人少量地喝點威士忌以改善睡眠，然而至關重要的是必須強調“少量”這個關鍵詞。