tactical

adjective

ˈtak-ti-kəl How to pronounce tactical (audio)
Definition of tacticalnext
as in prudent
suitable for bringing about a desired result under the circumstances made the tactical move of becoming friendly with the journalism teacher, hoping that this would get him appointed editor of the school newspaper

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tactical But the ever-tactical Sinestro seems to have some other knowledge that might be useful to Hal. — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026 As military operations become more dependent on connected systems, electricity itself becomes a tactical resource. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026 In the summer of 2025, immigration agents, dressed in tactical gear and riding on horses and in armored vehicles, made a show of force through MacArthur Park trying to strike fear into the immigrant community. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026 The menu looks slick and tactical, too, for a more unique aesthetic. — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tactical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tactical
  1. prudent
  2. desirable
  3. wise
  4. possible
  5. politic
Adjective
  • Critics of Modi’s prudent management of Washington have not come up with a convincing alternative strategy for how India should handle the growing power imbalance with China.
    — C. Raja Mohan, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026
  • But Newsom’s new language moves away from the prudent standard and also drops the fatality requirement.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of prudent
Adjective
  • As high-quality synthetic re-creations become cheap and accessible, cloning has become a more desirable option for studios struggling with runaway production costs.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Summary Personality traits often blur between desirable and undesirable, with positive qualities becoming negative in extreme.
    — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of desirable
Adjective
  • And another small change may also have benefited him, both mentally and timing-wise.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • And that’s both take-wise as well as diversity-wise and gender-wise and religion-wise and industry-wise.
    — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of wise
Adjective
  • Sunlight Place the plant in a sunny window, south-facing if possible, and give it four to six hours of sunlight each day.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Carley Garner, a commodity market strategist and broker at DeCarley Trading, said smaller futures and oil ETFs such as the United States Oil Fund (ticker USO) have made speculation possible for traders at almost any level of experience or funding.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of possible
Adjective
  • Coaxing out his talents fell to a more politic peer.
    — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
  • What’s depicted focuses on the advances these early feminists made at the school and in society, and the personal tensions between the relentlessly radical Marks and the more politic Woolley.
    — Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
Definition of politic

Browse Nearby Words

tactic
tactical
tactics
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Cite this Entry

“Tactical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tactical. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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