NONOPERATIVE Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

nonoperative

adjective

Definition of nonoperative

as in nonoperational

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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 nonoperative Services range from nonoperative treatment options and minimally invasive outpatient surgery to complex and life-enhancing surgical procedures, according to Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine. — Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 16 Sep. 2025 In many cases, similar or better results can be achieved using options including multidisciplinary care that includes an expert nonoperative physician, physical therapy and lifestyle interventions. — Greg Licholai, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2022 Another call came in about the handrail, then a call about an emergency-exit gate at Fort Hamilton Parkway with a nonoperative magnet. — Andy Newman, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2020 But behind the model are a set of assumptions about the relationship between China and the U.S. that are suddenly and dramatically nonoperative. — Dan Neil, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2019 Candidates for surgery have attempted nonoperative treatments without relief of symptoms. — Tj Gibson, azcentral, 9 May 2018

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonoperative

Adjective

Kosmos 2553 began to spin out of control in April 2025 and is believed to currently be nonoperational.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 8 July 2026
The car was nonoperational and not under his name, but was left in his care.

— Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026

Definition of nonoperational

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

Adjective

Debt and other nonoperating municipal costs would rise from $24.6 million to $26.5 million.

— Jesse Leavenworth, courant.com, 9 Mar. 2021
Our research, published in the Journal of Finance, shows that in 2012 these corporations managed a combined portfolio of $1.6 trillion of nonoperating financial assets.

— Thomas Gilbert and, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2018

Definition of nonoperating

Adjective

Doctors said the lack of blood flow made a small spot in the front left hemisphere of his brain inactive, but those functions could rewire to another region over time.

— Claire Harutunian, Charlotte Observer, 15 July 2026
Like the police report in Sebold’s assault, those cases had also been quickly consigned to the inactive file.

— ProPublica, ProPublica, 14 July 2026

Definition of inactive

Adjective

Down the road from his house, drivers cautiously approached a nonfunctional traffic light on Hampstead Mexico Road that was impacted by an outage.

— Gabriella Fine, Baltimore Sun, 9 July 2026
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said drivers should treat intersections with nonfunctional traffic signals as a four-way stop.

— Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 20 June 2026

Definition of nonfunctional

Adjective

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

Definition of nonfunctioning

Adjective

Perhaps unsurprisingly, subsequent attempts at diplomacy, led by the ailing diplomat and intellectual Benjamin Franklin, also proved ineffective.

— Sarah M.S. Pearsall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Skunks would rather put up with the strong scent of mothballs than leave a hospitable environment, making mothballs totally ineffective against skunks.

— Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 1 July 2026

Definition of ineffective

Adjective

Divine intervention can’t repair the broken social bonds that Odysseus and Penelope (Anne Hathaway) blame for the fall of civilization.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 July 2026
In 2023, after a park visitor noticed a broken Fury 325 support beam, the coaster closed for six weeks that summer.

— Catherine Muccigrosso July 17, Charlotte Observer, 17 July 2026

Definition of broken

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nonoperational

nonoperative

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“Nonoperative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonoperative. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of nonoperative

adjective

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