"operant" meaning in English

See operant in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

Forms: more operant [comparative], most operant [superlative]
Etymology: From Middle English operant, from Latin operāns. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|operant}} Middle English operant, {{der|en|la|operāns}} Latin operāns Head templates: {{en-adj}} operant (comparative more operant, superlative most operant)
  1. That operates to produce an effect. Synonyms: operative Derived forms: inoperant, operancy, operant conditioning
    Sense id: en-operant-en-adj-7m0kjesG Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 4 entries, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 43 6 51 Disambiguation of Pages with 4 entries: 46 3 50 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 47 2 51

Noun

Forms: operants [plural]
Etymology: From Middle English operant, from Latin operāns. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|operant}} Middle English operant, {{der|en|la|operāns}} Latin operāns Head templates: {{en-noun}} operant (plural operants)
  1. An operative person or thing.
    Sense id: en-operant-en-noun-EEezpMEv
  2. (psychology) Any of a class of behaviors that produce consequences by operating (i.e., acting) upon the environment. Categories (topical): Psychology
    Sense id: en-operant-en-noun-3DZc5qFb Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 4 entries, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 43 6 51 Disambiguation of Pages with 4 entries: 46 3 50 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 47 2 51 Topics: human-sciences, psychology, sciences
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: Skinner box

Inflected forms

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "inoperant"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "operant"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English operant",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "operāns"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin operāns",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English operant, from Latin operāns.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more operant",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most operant",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "operant (comparative more operant, superlative most operant)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "43 6 51",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "46 3 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 4 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 2 51",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "inoperant"
        },
        {
          "word": "operancy"
        },
        {
          "word": "operant conditioning"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "thy most operant poison",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1955, Rex Stout, \"When a Man Murders...\", in Three Witnesses, October 1994 Bantam edition, page 117",
          "text": "I tell you frankly, if Paul Aubry is guilty I hope is convicted and punished; but if one of the others is guilty I hope he—or she—is punished, and if I knew anything operant to that end I certainly would not withhold it."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "That operates to produce an effect."
      ],
      "id": "en-operant-en-adj-7m0kjesG",
      "links": [
        [
          "operate",
          "operate"
        ],
        [
          "effect",
          "effect"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "operative"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "operant"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "operant"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English operant",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "operāns"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin operāns",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English operant, from Latin operāns.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "operants",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "operant (plural operants)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "Skinner box"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "An operative person or thing."
      ],
      "id": "en-operant-en-noun-EEezpMEv"
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Psychology",
          "orig": "en:Psychology",
          "parents": [
            "Social sciences",
            "Sciences",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "43 6 51",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "46 3 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 4 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 2 51",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any of a class of behaviors that produce consequences by operating (i.e., acting) upon the environment."
      ],
      "id": "en-operant-en-noun-3DZc5qFb",
      "links": [
        [
          "psychology",
          "psychology"
        ],
        [
          "class",
          "class"
        ],
        [
          "behavior",
          "behavior"
        ],
        [
          "operating",
          "operating"
        ],
        [
          "upon",
          "upon"
        ],
        [
          "environment",
          "environment"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(psychology) Any of a class of behaviors that produce consequences by operating (i.e., acting) upon the environment."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "psychology",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "operant"
}
{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "inoperant"
    }
  ],
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "Pages with 4 entries",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "inoperant"
    },
    {
      "word": "operancy"
    },
    {
      "word": "operant conditioning"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "operant"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English operant",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "operāns"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin operāns",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English operant, from Latin operāns.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more operant",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most operant",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "operant (comparative more operant, superlative most operant)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "thy most operant poison",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1955, Rex Stout, \"When a Man Murders...\", in Three Witnesses, October 1994 Bantam edition, page 117",
          "text": "I tell you frankly, if Paul Aubry is guilty I hope is convicted and punished; but if one of the others is guilty I hope he—or she—is punished, and if I knew anything operant to that end I certainly would not withhold it."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "That operates to produce an effect."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "operate",
          "operate"
        ],
        [
          "effect",
          "effect"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "operative"
    }
  ],
  "word": "operant"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "Pages with 4 entries",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "operant"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English operant",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "operāns"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin operāns",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English operant, from Latin operāns.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "operants",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "operant (plural operants)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "Skinner box"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "An operative person or thing."
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Psychology"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any of a class of behaviors that produce consequences by operating (i.e., acting) upon the environment."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "psychology",
          "psychology"
        ],
        [
          "class",
          "class"
        ],
        [
          "behavior",
          "behavior"
        ],
        [
          "operating",
          "operating"
        ],
        [
          "upon",
          "upon"
        ],
        [
          "environment",
          "environment"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(psychology) Any of a class of behaviors that produce consequences by operating (i.e., acting) upon the environment."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "psychology",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "operant"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-03-23 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-03-21 using wiktextract (fef8596 and 633533e). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.