NONFUNCTIONING Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

nonfunctioning

adjective

ˌnän-ˈfəŋ(k)-sh(ə-)niŋ

Definition of nonfunctioning

as in malfunctioning

not being in working order the Ferris wheel is nonfunctioning at the moment

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 nonfunctioning Drivers say their contract issues center on pay as well as safety issues, including nonfunctioning heaters, loudspeakers and windshield wipers. — Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Feb. 2023 In 2020, the state of Virginia passed some bills limiting pretextual traffic stops—for example, when police spot nonfunctioning brake or tail lights or hear an overly loud exhaust system. — Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 30 Jan. 2023 Demings, whose four decades of public service include leading the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Orlando Police Department, said intersections with nonfunctioning signals become four-way stops. — Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel, 30 Sep. 2022 On the last Saturday of September, keeping the culture looked like Carter working in conjunction with members of her community to host a dinner under the stars on a nonfunctioning farm. — Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2021 Usually the nonfunctioning kidneys are left in place and the healthy kidney is surgically attached in a different location. — Julie Washington, cleveland, 13 July 2021

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonfunctioning

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

Subsense showed off a nonfunctional mock-up of a cap that looked like a cross between a baseball cap and a bike helmet.

— Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
Days said the focus of the project is not changing the machine's appearance or replacing a piece of Pittsburgh history, but repairing the internal components that have long been nonfunctional.

— Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of nonfunctional

Adjective

Bass said her review would be a top down evaluation that scrutinizes the roles of dispatchers, supervisors and others involved in responding to reports of people behaving erratically.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
For a player that is worth so much, especially financially, to an organization’s success, Guerrero’s down year has led to some vitriol from the Blue Jays’ fan base.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of down

Adjective

On Lanai, one of Hawaii's smallest main islands, storm damage rendered a harbor that supplies much of the food and fuel to its 3,300 residents inoperable.

— GENE JOHNSON, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2026
One factor contributing the repair delays – but unmentioned by the GAO report – is acknowledgement that the Washington shipyard at Bremerton on Puget Sound is built on a fault line and four of its dry docks are inoperable following an earthquake.

— Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of inoperable

Adjective

Center fielder Andy Pages, who missed a month with a broken hand, returned to the lineup three days ago.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Nine live roaches were counted, six in the gasket of a broken refrigerator still on the cookline and one on the cookline.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of broken

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

Browse Nearby Words

nonfunctional

nonfunctioning

nonglamorous

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“Nonfunctioning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonfunctioning. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of nonfunctioning

adjective

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