recreational

adjective

rec·​re·​a·​tion·​al ˌre-krē-ˈā-shnəl 

-shə-nᵊl

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of recreation

a recreational area

recreational activities

2

: of or relating to recreational drugs or their use

a recreational drug user

Colorado's burgeoning marijuana industry had struggled under its own astonishing success since legal recreational sales began Jan. 1.

—David Migoya

recreationally adverb

Examples of recreational in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Paying homage to the golden age of transatlantic travel by ship and the glory days of Miami Beach, the wardrobe traces the recreational roots of the dandy dressing core to the House Men’s proposal. —Karissa Mitchell, Essence, 9 May 2025

What to Know Pennsylvania's Cannabis Health & Safety Act passed the state House of Representatives on Tuesday on party lines, bringing it one step closer to allowing legal marijuana for recreational purposes. —Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025

While the overall numbers of bears may be increasing in some areas, that fact should be viewed as a conservation success story — not an excuse for justifying a purely recreational hunt. —Grant Gelhardt, Sun Sentinel, 6 May 2025

The 363-mile waterway and adjacent recreational trails are well-known by locals but unknown by many out-of-state travelers. —Gary Stoller, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

recreation + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing recreational

• recreational drug
• recreational vehicle

Rhymes for recreational

• aspirational
• avocational
• calculational
• combinational
• computational
• conformational
• confrontational
• congregational
• conversational
• correlational
• deformational
• derivational