From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishinvestigativein‧ves‧ti‧ga‧tive /ɪnˈvestəɡətɪv $ -ɡeɪtɪv/ AWL adjective → investigative journalism/report/workFrom Longman Business Dictionaryinvestigativein‧ves‧ti‧ga‧tive /ɪnˈvestəgətɪv-geɪtɪv/ adjective investigative work or activity involves discovering the truth about a crime, accident etcThe Office of Fair Trading will be given stronger investigative powers.investigative journalism