1
as in malfunctioning
not being in working order
we have several inoperable cars on the property
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in useless
not capable of being put to use or account
a delightfully creative but inoperable plan for building a theme park in the area
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inoperable
During the course of deliberately ramming the cop car, the teen’s vehicle was rendered inoperable.
—
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
Responses can be incorrect, activations trigger the wrong content, and the voice recognition features are often inoperable.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 22 Jan. 2026
Anyone involved in a traffic crash who is injured, has an inoperable vehicle, is stranded or in a dangerous situation should call 911 immediately, Perez said.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2026
Their repair garage teems with an array of inoperable vehicles and twisted metal.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inoperable
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
Responses can be incorrect, activations trigger the wrong content, and the voice recognition features are often inoperable.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 22 Jan. 2026
Anyone involved in a traffic crash who is injured, has an inoperable vehicle, is stranded or in a dangerous situation should call 911 immediately, Perez said.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2026
Their repair garage teems with an array of inoperable vehicles and twisted metal.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inoperable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoperable
Adjective
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There's also the scenario where the user experience just isn't great, whether that's subpar customer service or a malfunctioning app.—
Andreina Rodriguez,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
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Over 1,000 sanitation workers went on strike after two workers were crushed by a malfunctioning garbage truck — a tragic incident in a history of city neglect of Black workers.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Homeowners and residents are baffled by the attacks upon their beautiful — but otherwise seemingly useless — plants.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
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My deep cynicism thinks this was a diabolical plan to herd young people toward expensive, and somewhat useless, college degrees.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Shopping writer Julia Harrison is a down pillow devotee, but Boll & Branch’s has become her absolute favorite.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
19 Feb. 2026
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There are strict criteria which apply for safe standing areas, such as the fact fans must be able to sit or stand in the licensed areas – the seats in them cannot be locked in the ‘up’ or ‘down’ position.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But this season, the looks that made the highest impact eschewed function for jaw-dropping, delightfully impractical looks.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
19 Feb. 2026
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Testers found the concept impractical due to clothing sleeves and the difficulty of capturing usable camera angles from the wrist.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Every home has that one drawer where unknown or inoperative chargers end up, becoming a tangled mess.—
Kaylei Fear,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Feb. 2026
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The agency has also probed 2021 Tesla Model Y vehicles after reports of exterior door handles becoming inoperative due to low battery voltage, leading to instances of children stuck inside.—
Andrea Guzmán,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This approach allows the battery to remain responsive and reliable in environments that would normally render standard cells sluggish or unusable, CarNewsChina reports.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
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This method also had the practical downside of rendering my colander unusable for straining the rigatoni for my Wednesday-night pasta alla vodka.—
Alma Avalle,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Three light tubes over the retail area were nonfunctional.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
January 30,
Sacbee.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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There wasn’t much else to do considering the Wi-Fi, now free for all Rapid Rewards members, was nonfunctional.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Its old building, constructed in 1939 for the Social Security Board, needed expensive renovations; reportedly had ancient, faulty wiring; was far too big; and was generally unsuitable for modern journalism.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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The list of skilled talent deemed unsuitable by the coaching staff since the spring of 2024 includes the list above, married to names like Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, all of whom were found wanting.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inoperable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoperable. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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