operation has 14 distinct synonyms spread across 6 of its 11 senses. Each sense below keeps its own list, because a synonym belongs to a meaning and not to a word: swapping one sense's substitute into another sense's sentence is how a thesaurus makes writing worse. WordNet records no antonym for it — antonymy is a relation between word forms rather than concepts, so it is deliberately sparse.
Counts are distinct word forms across every sense. A synonym that appears under three senses is counted once here and shown three times below, under each sense it belongs to.
the state of being in effect or being operative
“that rule is no longer in operation”
a business especially one run on a large scale
“a large-scale farming operation”
a planned activity involving many people performing various actions
“they organized a rescue operation”
(computer science) data processing in which the result is completely specified by a rule (especially the processing that results from a single instruction)
“it can perform millions of operations per second”
activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign)
“it was a joint operation of the navy and air force”
a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body
“they will schedule the operation as soon as an operating room is available”
process or manner of functioning or operating
“the power of its engine determines its operation”
(psychology) the performance of some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental contents
“the process of thinking”
(mathematics) calculation by mathematical methods
“the problems at the end of the chapter demonstrated the mathematical processes involved in the derivation”
the activity of operating something (a machine or business etc.)
“her smooth operation of the vehicle gave us a surprisingly comfortable ride”
Synonyms, antonyms and the broader and narrower relations for operation come from Princeton University’s WordNet. Full sources and licences.