as in malfunctioning
not being in working order
that gas pump is nonfunctional, which is the reason for the plastic bag over the nozzle
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Recent Examples of nonfunctional
When heading out to look for lamps, take a lightbulb along to test them in-store, but also consider rewiring nonfunctional pieces.
—
Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 17 Aug. 2025
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
Grok remains nonfunctional on X, where it was disabled on Tuesday afternoon following a slew of offensive and abusive posts, including some that mentioned CEO Linda Yaccarino, who resigned the following day without giving a specific reason.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonfunctional
Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 17 Aug. 2025
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
Grok remains nonfunctional on X, where it was disabled on Tuesday afternoon following a slew of offensive and abusive posts, including some that mentioned CEO Linda Yaccarino, who resigned the following day without giving a specific reason.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonfunctional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonfunctional
Adjective
-
Another set piece involving a malfunctioning chair lift is excruciatingly tense.—
Emily Palmer Heller,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Drivers say their contract issues center on pay as well as safety issues, including nonfunctioning heaters, loudspeakers and windshield wipers.—
Zaz Hollander,
Anchorage Daily News,
4 Feb. 2023
-
In 2020, the state of Virginia passed some bills limiting pretextual traffic stops—for example, when police spot nonfunctioning brake or tail lights or hear an overly loud exhaust system.—
Michael Tomasky,
The New Republic,
30 Jan. 2023
Adjective
-
Rinsing rice also helps remove any grit or tiny broken pieces that might have made their way into the package.—
Emily Johnson,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
9 Oct. 2025
-
The Comfort Cubs are created with love to heal a broken heart.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Becky Cameron 7-Piece Bedding Bundle This bedding bundle is great for people with allergies, thanks to its down-alternative fill that provides warmth without irritation.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
-
The Red Sox have the benefit of playing in a down era of American League talent where the path to the World Series seemed wide open for the third consecutive year.—
Tim Crowley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Because social platforms have not trained their detection models on sufficient non-English-language and non-Western data, much of the AI-fakes detection technology is still very shaky, if not useless, in the Global South and across the developing world.—
John Wihbey,
Big Think,
7 Oct. 2025
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House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) suggested on Friday that returning to Washington would be all but useless.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For example, Hurricane Helene, which affected much of Western North Carolina almost exactly one year ago, resulted in more than 450 mail routes being inoperable due to the storm, according to a news release from USPS.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Sep. 2025
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Under local law, even inoperable or replica weapons are considered potentially operable if they can be modified to fire, placing them under the same strict legal framework.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Of those who reported incidents, none saw a low voltage battery warning before the exterior door handles became inoperative.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
17 Sep. 2025
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But the speed came from all three levels of Green Bay’s defense, rendering Washington’s offense almost inoperative.—
Nicki Jhabvala,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nonfunctional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonfunctional. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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