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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in malfunctioning
not being in working order
looking for an expert to fix the inoperative grandfather clock
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inoperative
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
The systems could have electrical compressor failure, which can cause the defroster or defogger to be inoperative, increasing the risk of a crash, the recall notice said.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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
The systems could have electrical compressor failure, which can cause the defroster or defogger to be inoperative, increasing the risk of a crash, the recall notice said.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoperative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoperative
Adjective
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But when the Chinese government outlawed private tutoring in 2021, Q Kids went dormant.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
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Encephalitis can also lay dormant, with Edwards never having a cold sore herself, the outlet added.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Despite the accomplishments, Artemis II astronauts had to contend with a more mundane problem -- a malfunctioning space toilet.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Apr. 2026
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Despite the accomplishments, Artemis II astronauts had to contend with a more mundane problem — a malfunctioning space toilet.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Thousands listed invalid emails or phone numbers.—
Michael Kaplan,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
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The court is considering an appeal of a Tazewell County judge’s ruling that the amendment is invalid because lawmakers violated their own rules while passing it.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Numerous designers, including Alessandro Michele and the late Vivienne Westwood, have credited the Queen as an inspiration, not least for the kind of sturdy, tweedy daywear shown in a section devoted to her off-duty garments.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
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Or book a court at the Prospect Park Tennis Center at an off hour.—
The Editors,
Curbed,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The blasts ocurred in international waters and left the pipelines inoperable.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
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Unfortunately for tourists looking for a place to go, the one that showed up Monday morning on the promenade in front of the Lincoln Memorial is inoperable.—
Joe Heim,
Washington Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Producers then planned to move the show into a vacant 42nd Street building that once housed New York’s Playboy Club, but after extensive renovations that turned the venue into a working Nashville-style honky-tonk bar, the run was scotched days before previews were to begin last March.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2026
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City workers began cleaning up a North Hollywood nuisance property on Thursday, after neighbors complained for a decade about the vacant residential lot where a home once stood.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Consumer staples is the only other down sector in April, lower by just 1%.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
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This should be a down-payment on funding for fighting addiction in Boston and beyond.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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At the time, the group was still reeling from the 2011 conviction of their leader, Warren Jeffs, which left a leadership void — one eventually filled by Bateman, who claimed to be a prophet.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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Technically, the court decided all previous rulings after 2017 are void.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inoperative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoperative. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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