diff --git a/src/indexer.cc b/src/indexer.cc
index 3d52d0c8..9c9af9a1 100644
--- a/src/indexer.cc
+++ b/src/indexer.cc
@@ -1540,11 +1540,6 @@ void OnIndexDeclaration(CXClientData client_data, const CXIdxDeclInfo* decl) {
       if (!is_template_specialization) {
         func->def.short_name = decl->entityInfo->name;
 
-        // Set the |is_operator| flag to true if the function name starts with
-        // "operator"
-        func->def.is_operator =
-            func->def.short_name.compare(0, 8, "operator") == 0;
-
         // Build detailed name. The type desc looks like void (void *). We
         // insert the qualified name before the first '('.
         func->def.detailed_name = GetFunctionSignature(db, ns, decl);
diff --git a/src/indexer.h b/src/indexer.h
index 59e87d4a..48cb8384 100644
--- a/src/indexer.h
+++ b/src/indexer.h
@@ -271,9 +271,6 @@ struct FuncDefDefinitionData {
   // Functions that this function calls.
   std::vector<FuncRef> callees;
 
-  // Used for semantic highlighting
-  bool is_operator = false;
-
   bool operator==(
       const FuncDefDefinitionData<TypeId, FuncId, VarId, FuncRef, Range>& other)
       const {
@@ -314,7 +311,6 @@ void Reflect(
   REFLECT_MEMBER(base);
   REFLECT_MEMBER(locals);
   REFLECT_MEMBER(callees);
-  REFLECT_MEMBER(is_operator);
   REFLECT_MEMBER_END();
 }
 
diff --git a/src/message_handler.cc b/src/message_handler.cc
index a32fb9a8..fe458a14 100644
--- a/src/message_handler.cc
+++ b/src/message_handler.cc
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ void EmitSemanticHighlighting(QueryDatabase* db,
         QueryFunc* func = &db->funcs[sym.idx.idx];
         if (!func->def)
           continue;  // applies to for loop
-        if (func->def->is_operator)
+        if (func->def->short_name.compare(0, 8, "operator") == 0)
           continue;  // applies to for loop
         kind = func->def->kind;
         is_type_member = func->def->declaring_type.has_value();
diff --git a/src/query.cc b/src/query.cc
index bdade8b7..d6794691 100644
--- a/src/query.cc
+++ b/src/query.cc
@@ -69,7 +69,6 @@ optional<QueryFunc::Def> ToQuery(const IdMap& id_map,
   result.base = id_map.ToQuery(func.base);
   result.locals = id_map.ToQuery(func.locals);
   result.callees = id_map.ToQuery(func.callees);
-  result.is_operator = func.is_operator;
   return result;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/serializer.cc b/src/serializer.cc
index b68b2f96..44c6a924 100644
--- a/src/serializer.cc
+++ b/src/serializer.cc
@@ -159,7 +159,6 @@ template <typename TVisitor>
 void Reflect(TVisitor& visitor, IndexFunc& value) {
   REFLECT_MEMBER_START();
   REFLECT_MEMBER2("id", value.id);
-  REFLECT_MEMBER2("is_operator", value.def.is_operator);
   REFLECT_MEMBER2("usr", value.usr);
   REFLECT_MEMBER2("short_name", value.def.short_name);
   REFLECT_MEMBER2("detailed_name", value.def.detailed_name);