inoperative

1 not being in a state of use, activity, or employment be careful when putting your hands in even an inoperative garbage disposal Synonyms dead, dormant, fallow, free, idle, inert, inactive, latent, off, unused, vacantRelated Words abeyant, arrested, interrupted, suspended; unoccupied; asleep, comatose, lifeless, moribund, quiescent, sleepy; inoperable, unusable, unworkable, useless; dull, slowNear Antonyms functional, operable, operational, workable; assiduous, industrious, sedulous; energetic, vigorous; feasible, practical, usable (also useable), useful, viableAntonyms active, alive, busy, employed, functioning, going, living, on, operating, operative, running, working

2 not being in working order looking for an expert to fix the inoperative grandfather clock Synonyms down, inoperable, kaput (also kaputt), malfunctioning, nonfunctional, nonfunctioning, nonoperatingRelated Words broken; off; deactivated, deadlocked, ineffective, ineffectual, nonproductive, unproductive, unusable, unworkable, uselessNear Antonyms effective, effectual, employable, performing, producing, productive, serving, usable (also useable), useful, viable, workableAntonyms functional, functioning, operable, operant, operating, operational, operative, running, working

3 having no legal or binding force the decision of the state's supreme court has rendered the law inoperative Synonyms bad, null, invalid, nonbinding, nonvalid, nugatory, null and void, voidRelated Words illegal; useless, worthless; ineffective, ineffectualNear Antonyms legal; workingAntonyms binding, good, valid