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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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 inoperative
All of that will be instantly inoperative as of January 21, 2025, if not right after Election Day.
—
Rich Lowry, National Review, 3 Sep. 2024
In these conditions, if the ABS falsely activates and a specific sequence of wheel movements occur, the vehicle’s ABS system will continue to release braking pressure, which can reduce stopping performance or the service brakes can become inoperative, increasing the risk of a crash, Acura said.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 2 Sep. 2024
As inoperative McDonald's soft-serve ice-cream machines became a national punchline, tech startup Kytch developed a device that helped McDonald's franchises get their machines back online.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 21 July 2024
As a result, roughly one-fourth of the pumps in the region were inoperative within 12 months of installation.
—Marco Bertini,
jean-Manuel Izaret,
richard Hutchinson, Harvard Business Review, 17 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inoperative 
Rich Lowry, National Review, 3 Sep. 2024
In these conditions, if the ABS falsely activates and a specific sequence of wheel movements occur, the vehicle’s ABS system will continue to release braking pressure, which can reduce stopping performance or the service brakes can become inoperative, increasing the risk of a crash, Acura said.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 2 Sep. 2024
As inoperative McDonald's soft-serve ice-cream machines became a national punchline, tech startup Kytch developed a device that helped McDonald's franchises get their machines back online.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 21 July 2024
As a result, roughly one-fourth of the pumps in the region were inoperative within 12 months of installation.
—Marco Bertini,
jean-Manuel Izaret,
richard Hutchinson, Harvard Business Review, 17 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inoperative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoperative
Adjective
-
The case was dormant until last year, when agents with Wisconsin's Justice Department began working with the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory to identify the remains.Doha Madani, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024
-
Most went dormant in August and September, then the rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene made their way up here.Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
His legal team had argued that the congressional subpoena was invalid because Trump had asserted executive privilege.Samuel Burke, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024
-
Failure to comply with these requirements renders the mail ballot invalid.Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
The biggest problem with the bullpen approach is that the more pitchers a team uses in a game, the chances multiply of at least one of them having an off night.Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2024
-
The key to success is to switch your attention from keyword optimization to offering genuine value through interactive features, user-centric content and effective off-page methods.Adhip Ray, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Without breaking stride, Hunter blew past four more Utah defenders and hopped into the end zone, a broken play transformed into a work of art.Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024
-
De Menezes was on his way to repair a broken fire alarm when he was shot and killed in an underground carriage at Stockwell station.Irenie Forshaw, theweek, 12 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
The null result emerged from 280 days of data collection.Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2024
-
However, scientific studies have found mixed results: On the one hand, some studies find evidence that passionate employees tend to perform better, while other research has documented null or even negative effects on performance.Erica R. Bailey, Kai Krautter, Wen Wu, Adam D. Galinsky, Jon M. Jachimowicz, Harvard Business Review, 24 July 2024
Adjective
-
Trees obstruct a direct view of the vacant homes, which sit at the end of a long driveway atop a hill, with single-story homes and apartment complexes near its base.Teri Figueroa, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
-
Frogmore Cottage has been vacant since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were asked to vacate.Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, 19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Wind and rain were still whipping hard, and now cellphone service had ceased, making their map apps inoperable.Chris Kenning, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024
-
With this ruling, the frustration over inoperable ice cream dispensers may soon end.Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 28 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Search is void in the Balkans, Belarus, Burma, Cote D’ivoire (Ivory Coast), Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Zimbabwe and where prohibited by law.TIME.com, TIME.com, 1 Nov. 2024
-
And 90% of the movie, including stuff that’s like interdimensional void stuff, all was actually at that farm.Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near inoperative
Cite this Entry
“Inoperative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoperative. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share