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
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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
Additionally, there was no regulation preventing landings at Congonhas with an inoperative thrust reverser—even on rainy days.
CENIPA, as a preventive agency, did not name those responsible.
—
Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 23 Apr. 2025
At the same time, Israel has acted to render what is left of Assad’s navy inoperative.
—Bassem Eid, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2025
Although there several election ballot scanners were inoperative at multiple polling locations in Cambria County in Pennsylvania, no widespread voting problems had been reported by the late afternoon.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024
Perhaps most notably, both sides deploy decoy vehicles—either inoperative derelicts or inflatable fakes—to draw enemy fire away from real vehicles.
—David Axe, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for inoperative
Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 23 Apr. 2025
At the same time, Israel has acted to render what is left of Assad’s navy inoperative.
—Bassem Eid, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2025
Although there several election ballot scanners were inoperative at multiple polling locations in Cambria County in Pennsylvania, no widespread voting problems had been reported by the late afternoon.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024
Perhaps most notably, both sides deploy decoy vehicles—either inoperative derelicts or inflatable fakes—to draw enemy fire away from real vehicles.
—David Axe, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for inoperative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoperative
Adjective
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Often when faced with a trauma, a redwood will swell a bank of dormant buds and woody tissue to create burls.—
Greg Sullivan,
AFAR Media,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Note that plants go dormant in areas that experience hard freezes.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Another set piece involving a malfunctioning chair lift is excruciatingly tense.—
Emily Palmer Heller,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Beijing maintains the ruling is invalid.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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The other client of Miami’s Rawsi Williams in the Bar’s petition, however, filed a Bar grievance after the first settlement funds check sent to her was declared invalid by her bank.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Though his request to play in Napa was denied, his off-course involvement is already proving to be a unifying force.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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However, he was involved in an off-field accident that forced the Royals to shift their pitching plans.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In my experience, redeeming a broken industry requires regaining consumer trust by delivering empathy, transparency, and a process that works for clients, especially in a space that has historically worked against the interests of consumers.—
Brandon Aversano,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Across the eastern Baltic states (an area pertaining to modern-day Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), there are even more examples of broken tools in Stone Age burials.—
Sarah Durn,
Popular Science,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In September 2022, schoolteacher Eliza Fletcher was kidnapped during an early morning run, and her body was later found near a vacant duplex.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Sep. 2025
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Each apartment was different from the next, and the vacant unit (one daughter retreated to a Greek island) had views of the sea.—
Keith Flanagan,
Architectural Digest,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The complaints detail owners' experiences with a 12 V power failure and inoperable doors, trapping children or dogs in cars on hot days.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
17 Sep. 2025
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In honor of Bourbon Heritage Month, our Maggie Menderski went on a search to track down the oldest operating and inoperable stills in Kentucky.—
Ray Padilla,
Louisville Courier Journal,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The increasingly popular use of void years — dummy years to spread the cap hit beyond a contract’s expiration — magnifies the effect.—
Mike Sando,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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In his appeal though, obtained by PEOPLE, Guobadia argued that their November 2022 prenup was void because Williams allegedly misrepresented herself during negotiations by not disclosing her plans to return to RHOA.—
Dave Quinn,
People.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inoperative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoperative. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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