inoperative

adjective

(ˌ)in-ˈä-p(ə-)rə-tiv How to pronounce inoperative (audio)
Definition of inoperativenext
1
as in dormant
not being in a state of use, activity, or employment be careful when putting your hands in even an inoperative garbage disposal

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2
as in malfunctioning
not being in working order looking for an expert to fix the inoperative grandfather clock

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3
as in invalid
having no legal or binding force the decision of the state's supreme court has rendered the law inoperative

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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 inoperative 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 The Info menu indicates the right rear sensor is inoperative. — John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs and Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2026 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 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 See All Example Sentences for inoperative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoperative
  1. dormant
  2. malfunctioning
  3. invalid
  4. off
  5. inoperable
  6. null
  7. vacant
  8. down
Adjective
  • Former SpaceX engineers think a long-dormant nuclear reactor experiment is key to meeting the power needs of data centers.
    — Evan Halper, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Hawaii, meanwhile, rightfully earns its place thanks to its dramatic terrain, with 25 active and dormant volcanoes—the most of any state in the study—as well as 543 waterfalls and Mauna Kea, one of the tallest mountain summits in the country.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of dormant
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
  • Smith added that the trial occurred right around the time a new rule regarding peremptory challenges — motions by either side that exclude a juror — went into effect, making several reasons given by prosecutors to challenge a juror invalid.
    — Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • After those dates, any approvals would become invalid or void, as if they had never been granted.
    — City News Service, Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of invalid
Adjective
  • The strangeness rests on the antique, out-of-time nature of the set dressing, but also in the slightly off color combinations Arnold and his team chose, and in the sense of things being hand-made, injecting the sense of A Presence into the space.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026
  • There have been stretches of the season where scoring enough runs has felt impossible if Bryce Harper or Kyle Schwarber has an off day.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of off
Adjective
  • Worse yet, doctors told her that the tumor was inoperable and had spread to multiple parts of her brain.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Last December, Lawler and her colleagues published a new metric called the CRASH Clock, which estimates what would happen in orbit if every single satellite suddenly became inoperable.
    — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of inoperable
Adjective
  • For one, null results—in this case, findings that are not unusual or revelatory—are still useful.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 4 June 2026
  • However, in the face of an increasing number of null results, most notably in studies published in late 2025, most physicists now agree that this sterile neutrino doesn’t exist.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of null
Adjective
  • The work can largely be completed only during the summer, when school buildings are vacant.
    — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • For now, the billionaire’s penthouse remains vacant, and his basketball court too.
    — Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of vacant
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

Browse Nearby Words

inoperable
inoperative
inopportune
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Cite this Entry

“Inoperative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoperative. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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