different between activate vs operationalize

English

Etymology

active +? -ate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ækt??ve?t/

Verb

activate (third-person singular simple present activates, present participle activating, simple past and past participle activated)

1. (transitive) To encourage development or induce increased activity; to stimulate.

2. (transitive) To put a device, mechanism (alarm etc.) or system into action or motion; to trigger, to actuate, to set off, to enable.

3. (transitive, chemistry, physics) To render more reactive; excite.
4. (transitive, biology) To render a molecule reactive, active, or effective in performing its function.
5. (transitive, physics) To render a substance radioactive.
6. (transitive, chemistry) To hasten a chemical reaction, especially by heating.
7. (transitive, computing, software) To remove the limitations of demoware by providing a license; to unlock.
8. (transitive) To aerate in order to aid decomposition of organic matter.
9. (transitive, military) To organize or create a military unit or station.

10. (transitive, sports) To bring a player back after an injury.

Synonyms

• actuate
• enable
• get going
• set going
• set in motion
• set off
• spur
• start
• stimulate
• trigger
• turn on

Related terms

• activation

Antonyms

• deactivate
• inactivate

Translations

Anagrams

• cavitate

English

Alternative forms

• operationalise

Etymology

From operational +? -ize.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?p???e??(?)n?l??z/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??p???e???n??la?z/

Verb

operationalize (third-person singular simple present operationalizes, present participle operationalizing, simple past and past participle operationalized)

1. (transitive) To make operational.
2. (transitive, social sciences) To define (a concept) in such a way that it can be practically measured.
   • 1956, Ernest Greenwood, "New Directions in Delinquency Research: A Commentary on a Study by Bernard Lander," Social Service Review, vol. 30, no. 2, p. 152:

     To operationalize a concept is to identify those variables in terms of which the phenomenon represented by the concept can be accurately observed.

   • 2012, Adam Zeman, ‘Only Connect’, Literary Review, issue 399:

     Vision seems ‘childishly simple’ to us but proves to be fiendishly hard to operationalise, precisely because we are so good at it.

Derived terms