operative vs spy

spy vs operative

operative and spy both are nouns.

operative is an adjective but spy is not an adjective.

operative is not a verb while spy is a verb.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
operative	Yes	Yes	No	No
spy	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, spy is a hyponym of operative; that is, spy is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than operative:

operative: a person secretly employed in espionage for a government
spy: (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors

Other hyponyms of operative include agent-in-place, agent provocateur, provocateur, bridge agent, case officer, codetalker, windtalker, foot, NOC, undercover agent, walk-in.

operative (noun)	spy (noun)
someone who can be employed as a detective to collect information and assist in criminal investigations	(military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors
a person secretly employed in espionage for a government	a secret watcher; someone who secretly watches other people

operative (adjective)	spy (adjective)
being in force or having or exerting force
relating to or requiring or amenable to treatment by surgery especially as opposed to medicine
(of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing
effective; producing a desired effect

operative (verb)	spy (verb)
	secretly collect sensitive or classified information; engage in espionage
	watch, observe, or inquire secretly
	catch sight of
	catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes

Difference between operative and spy

© WordCmp.com 2024, CC-BY 4.0 / CC-BY-SA 3.0.