1
: of or relating to a job or occupation
occupational choices
occupational training/skills
occupational safety
Physiatrists commonly treat back and neck pain and other musculoskeletal problems, including sports injuries and occupational problems like repetitive stress injury.—C. Claiborne Ray
2
: relating to or engaged in the military occupation of a country
served as part of an occupational force
occupational troops
occupationally adverb

Examples of occupational in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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States can help by pruning occupational licensing requirements and making credentials modular and stackable, so short qualifications add up into longer ones. — Eric Kutcher, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026 Researchers looked at a wide range of possible culprits behind neck pain, including demographic, occupational, lifestyle, postural, technology and psychological factors. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026 Was there any evidence of an occupational exposure or laboratory incident? — Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026 Alicia Turczyk is a physiotherapist and occupational therapist, and was the manager and director of a nursing home and rehabilitation hospital for 15 years. — Alicja Turczyk, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for occupational

Word History

Etymology

occupation + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of occupational was in 1766

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Occupational.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occupational. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

occupational

adjective
oc·​cu·​pa·​tion·​al
ˌäk-yə-ˈpā-shnəl, 
-shən-ᵊl
: of or relating to one's occupation
a report on occupational health and safety
occupationally
-ē
adverb

Medical Definition

occupational

adjective
: relating to or being an occupational disease
occupational asthma
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