strategic
Americanadjective
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pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of strategy.
strategic movements.
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important in or essential to strategy.
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(of an action, as a military operation or a move in a game) forming an integral part of a stratagem.
a strategic move in a game of chess.
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Military.
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intended to render the enemy incapable of making war, as by the destruction of materials, factories, etc..
a strategic bombing mission.
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(of a weapon) long range, as an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Strategic nuclear weapons were the linchpin of the Mutual Assured Destruction doctrine at the height of the Cold War.
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essential to the conduct of a war.
Copper is a strategic material.
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adjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of strategy
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important to a strategy or to strategy in general
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(of weapons, attacks, etc) directed against an enemy's homeland rather than used on a battlefield
a strategic missile
strategic bombing
Other Word Forms
- nonstrategic adjective
- nonstrategical adjective
- strategically adverb
- unstrategic adjective
- unstrategical adjective
Etymology
Origin of strategic
First recorded in 1815–25; from Greek stratēgikós, equivalent to stratēg(ós) “general” ( strategy ) + -ikos -ic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Nations with strategic petroleum reserves may take action and release volumes if the disruption of the Strait risks being extended."
From Barron's
Crude futures rose as the armed conflict in the Middle East prompted shippers to avoid transit through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, but settled well off earlier highs.
If a Chinese lab is first to discover that a specific structural alignment technique is also the next major capability breakthrough, the strategic consequences will last decades.
Daoud said he expected Hezbollah to sit out the fight unless its patron was in existential peril, but added that what he called the group’s “measly opening salvo” made little strategic sense.
"Typically, before launching such major operations, presidents and their senior advisers have explained to the American people the reason major military operations are required, and the strategic objective they are intended to achieve," Shapiro wrote.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
