inoperable
adjective
in·op·er·a·ble
(ˌ)in-ˈä-p(ə-)rə-bəl 
1
: not treatable or remediable by surgery
an inoperable brain tumor
2
: not functioning : inoperative
Examples of inoperable in a Sentence
a patient with inoperable cancer
The device makes the car inoperable when a key is not used to start it.
Recent Examples on the Web
The aircraft was flying south when a malfunction caused the left engine to become inoperable, a Kansas Highway Patrol crash report said.
—
Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2025
Under cross-examination by defense lawyer Teny Geragos, Gannon agreed that many of the firearms were wrapped up in tape, not loaded and thus inoperable.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 21 May 2025
Switch and Switch 2 users who try to hack their consoles or play pirated copies of games may find their devices rendered completely inoperable by Nintendo.
—ArsTechnica, 12 May 2025
Police were initially able to ping the device’s location but later learned Post had allegedly removed part of the device, leaving it inoperable, according to state police.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoperable
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Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2025
Under cross-examination by defense lawyer Teny Geragos, Gannon agreed that many of the firearms were wrapped up in tape, not loaded and thus inoperable.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 21 May 2025
Switch and Switch 2 users who try to hack their consoles or play pirated copies of games may find their devices rendered completely inoperable by Nintendo.
—ArsTechnica, 12 May 2025
Police were initially able to ping the device’s location but later learned Post had allegedly removed part of the device, leaving it inoperable, according to state police.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoperable
Cite this Entry
“Inoperable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inoperable. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inoperable
adjective
in·op·er·a·ble
(ˈ)in-ˈäp-(ə-)rə-bəl
1
: not treatable by surgery
an inoperable cancer
2
: not in working order : inoperative
Medical Definition
inoperable
adjective
in·op·er·a·ble
(ˈ)in-ˈäp-(ə-)rə-bəl
: not treatable or remediable by or suitable for surgery
an advanced and inoperable cancer
a developing cataract still inoperable
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