inoperable

adjective

(ˌ)in-ˈä-p(ə-)rə-bəl How to pronounce inoperable (audio)
Definition of inoperablenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inoperable For Griffin, even as community support and public awareness have grown, the health risks and business challenges are getting worse as time goes on and the air conditioning remains inoperable. — Seamus Bozeman follow, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026 But Trump’s Energy Department has gone further, ordering several plants to stay open beyond their retirement date — even ones that are broken and inoperable. — Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 13 July 2026 There’s also a physical threshold above which runways themselves become inoperable. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 30 June 2026 The lawsuit points to a May 6 mayoral debate where Bass was asked about cuts to the LAFD's operational budget, which left fire engines inoperable. — Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for inoperable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoperable
  1. malfunctioning
  2. useless
  3. down
  4. impractical
  5. inoperative
  6. unusable
  7. nonfunctional
  8. unsuitable
Adjective
  • Homeowners reported a swift meeting at which officers discussed a reorganization of their specific duties and the hiring of an elevator expert to fix the chronically malfunctioning, overloaded elevators.
    — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Watching the first episode of Ultimate Girl’s Trip is like riding in a malfunctioning time machine.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of malfunctioning
Adjective
  • Garcia and Vargas Bustamante both agreed that not all of the health advice available on social media is useless, predatory or incorrect.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • If an agent queries a legacy database to decide whether to trigger an outreach sequence or prioritize an account, a flat list of static attributes is fundamentally useless to its reasoning engine.
    — Filip Popovic, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of useless
Adjective
  • Evans made a nice down-field catch from Brock Purdy early in team drills and later scored a touchdown on a short pass in a red-zone period.
    — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • And there could be the fact that recalls are down because companies aren't taking recalls.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of down
Adjective
  • Direct transmission becomes increasingly impractical beyond that point.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026
  • It's born from combining advances across science, engineering and computation in ways that make previously impractical technologies commercially viable.
    — Cyrus Wadia, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of impractical
Adjective
  • If the main engines were to become inoperative, six smaller orbit-control thrusters can still be activated on the lunar surface, providing an alternative pathway for a rapid ascent.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 14 June 2026
  • And there’s been plenty of media focus since then — including on inoperative toilets.
    — Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of inoperative
Adjective
  • John Gruber, a tech blogger, posited that Claude would now more readily default to watermarked words, rather than unleash the full scope of its linguistic range, which might result in lower-quality text, or in some cases unusable prose.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
  • While prolonged exposure to salt water has likely rendered the vehicle unusable on another flight, SpaceX has expressed interest in studying it to make improvements to future iterations.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of unusable
Adjective
  • Peekachu, for example, has a nonfunctional right eye, while Secord enjoys moving enrichment items around the habitat with her mouth.
    — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In most populations around the world, many of these genes have accumulated mutations over time that have left about 60 percent of them nonfunctional.
    — Willow Zhang, Scientific American, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of nonfunctional
Adjective
  • When channels are created with unsuitable blades, angles, or placement, transplanted hair may grow in an unnatural direction or produce an overly uniform appearance.
    — Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Websites often attract unsuitable clients due to ineffective copy, hindering business growth.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsuitable

Browse Nearby Words

in one's cups
inoperable
inoperative
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inoperable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoperable. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of inoperable for Spanish Speakers

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