invalid

1 of 4

adjective (1)

in·​val·​id (ˌ)in-ˈva-ləd How to pronounce invalid (audio)
: not valid:
a
: being without foundation or force in fact, truth, or law
an invalid assumption
declared the will invalid
b
: logically inconsequent
invalidly adverb

invalid

2 of 4

noun

in·​va·​lid ˈin-və-ləd How to pronounce invalid (audio)
 British usually  -ˌlēd
: one who is sickly or disabled

invalid

3 of 4

verb

in·​va·​lid ˈin-və-ləd How to pronounce invalid (audio)
-ˌlid,
 British usually  -ˌlēd,
 or  ˌin-və-ˈlēd
invalided; invaliding; invalids

transitive verb

1
: to remove from active duty by reason of sickness or disability
2
: to make sickly or disabled

invalid

4 of 4

adjective (2)

in·​va·​lid ˈin-və-ləd How to pronounce invalid (audio)
 British usually  -ˌlēd
1
: affected by disease or disability : sickly
2
: of, relating to, or suited to one that is sick
an invalid chair

Examples of invalid in a Sentence

Noun Her husband has become an invalid.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Prosecutors, though, maintain the agreement never took effect and is now invalid. Lindsay Whitehurst, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2023 Prosecutors maintain the agreement never took effect and is now invalid. Lindsay Whitehurst, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Sep. 2023 Only Alito has claimed that any response by the people’s branch to the ethics lapses by justices is invalid and unconstitutional. Norman J. Ornstein, The New Republic, 11 Sep. 2023 The unsealed opinion says Twitter, which is now known as X, objected to producing the information demanded in the warrant on February 1st, arguing that its accompanying nondisclosure order was invalid under the First Amendment. Makena Kelly, The Verge, 9 Aug. 2023 The lawsuit claims that the failure to outline these initiatives renders the petition invalid, and thus cannot be placed on the ballot in November. Zachary Smith, cleveland, 29 July 2023 Now, the Biden administration could focus one part of their legal defense on a 2020 DOJ opinion that took the position that impeachment investigations by the House are invalid without a vote of the full chamber. Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2023 In 2016, an international court of law in The Hague, the Netherlands, ruled that China’s vast territorial claims in the South China Sea had no basis in international law and were invalid. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 28 Aug. 2023 Elrod, writing for the panel, concluded that the changes in 2016 were invalid because the agency had not conducted sufficiently precise studies on its possible effects for patients. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 17 Aug. 2023
Noun
As these invalids made their way to Portsmouth, nearly half slipped away, including one who hobbled off on a wooden leg. David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023 Five hundred invalids from the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, many in their 60s and 70s, were ordered to fill out the ranks. Mary Ann Gwinn, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2023 In 1944, Marta’s parents, Rudolf Beck, aged seventy, and Regina, a chronic invalid at sixty-nine, died at Auschwitz. Andrew O’Hagan, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'invalid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

Latin invalidus weak, from in- + validus strong — more at valid

Adjective (2)

Latin & French; French invalide, from Latin invalidus

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

1542, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1701, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1787, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective (2)

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of invalid was in 1542

Dictionary Entries Near invalid

Cite this Entry

“Invalid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invalid. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

invalid

1 of 4 adjective
in·​val·​id (ˈ)in-ˈval-əd How to pronounce invalid (audio)
: having no force or effect : not valid
an invalid parking sticker
an invalid assumption
invalidity
ˌin-və-ˈlid-ət-ē
noun
invalidly adverb

invalid

2 of 4 adjective
in·​va·​lid ˈin-və-ləd How to pronounce invalid (audio)
1
: suffering from disease or disability : sickly
2
: of, relating to, or suited to an invalid

invalid

3 of 4 noun
like 2
 How to pronounce invalid (audio)
: one who is sickly or disabled

invalid

4 of 4 verb
in·​va·​lid ˈin-və-ləd How to pronounce invalid (audio)
-ˌlid
: to make sickly or disabled
Etymology

Adjective

from earlier invalid "not having a sound basis in fact or reason, not valid," from Latin invalidus "weak"

Adjective

from French invalide "suffering from a disease, sickly," from Latin invalidus "weak"

Medical Definition

invalid

1 of 3 adjective
in·​va·​lid
ˈin-və-ləd, British usually -ˌlēd
1
: affected by disease or disability : sickly
2
: of, relating to, or suited to one that is sick
an invalid chair

invalid

2 of 3 noun
: one who is sickly or disabled

invalid

3 of 3 transitive verb
in·​va·​lid
ˈin-və-ləd, -ˌlid, British usually -ˌlēd or ˌin-və-ˈlēd
1
: to remove from active duty by reason of sickness or disability
was invalided out of the army
2
: to make sickly or disabled
a patient invalided by valvular disease

Legal Definition

invalid

adjective
in·​val·​id in-ˈva-ləd How to pronounce invalid (audio)
: being without force or effect under the law
declared the will invalid
invalidly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on invalid

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!