nonfunctional

adjective

non·​func·​tion·​al ˌnän-ˈfəŋ(k)-shnəl 

-shə-nᵊl

: not functional: such as

a

: having no function : serving or performing no useful purpose

Naive art … tends to be decorative and nonfunctional.

—Robert Atkins

b

: not performing or able to perform a regular function

… the entire network is rendered nonfunctional if the central controller fails.

—Charles Feltman

nonfunctionally adverb

Synonyms

• malfunctioning
• nonfunctioning
• broken
• down
• useless
• inoperable
• inoperative

Examples of nonfunctional in a Sentence

that gas pump is nonfunctional, which is the reason for the plastic bag over the nozzle

Recent Examples on the Web

But with no updates coming from app stores, the app will likely become more buggy and eventually nonfunctional for U.S. users. —Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 16 Jan. 2025

Mosaic madness Adorn a nonfunctional fireplace with a kaleidoscope of mosaics. —Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 20 Nov. 2024

Lutnick was about to fly to London for a round of trade negotiations with China, whose restrictions on the sale of rare-earth metals were threatening to render parts of the American economy nonfunctional. —Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 21 July 2025

The puzzle page layout is now so nonfunctional that my paper should come with a magnifying glass and a pad of sticky notes. —Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nonfunctional

• bifunctional
• dysfunctional
• functional
• junctional

Medical Definition

nonfunctional

adjective

non·​func·​tion·​al -ˈfəŋ(k)-shnəl, -shən-ᵊl 

: nonfunctioning

a nonfunctional muscle