1
as in malfunctioning
not being in working order
we have several inoperable cars on the property
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in useless
not capable of being put to use or account
a delightfully creative but inoperable plan for building a theme park in the area
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inoperable
Iran’s controversial uranium enrichment program, which uses sensitive centrifuges often installed deep underground in fortified bunkers, is likely to have been rendered inoperable or damaged, if not entirely destroyed.
—
Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 24 June 2025
The employee restroom hand sink lacked paper towels due to an inoperable dispenser.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 6 June 2025
An inoperable mass in her brain—she’d survived six months.
—Jhumpa Lahiri, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
But if an inspector visits an inoperable charger, Wilkinson said her agency would take action, notifying the operator and requiring fixes.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoperable
Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 24 June 2025
The employee restroom hand sink lacked paper towels due to an inoperable dispenser.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 6 June 2025
An inoperable mass in her brain—she’d survived six months.
—Jhumpa Lahiri, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
But if an inspector visits an inoperable charger, Wilkinson said her agency would take action, notifying the operator and requiring fixes.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoperable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoperable
Adjective
-
Followers are useless, but engaged customers and a devoted tribe of community members are priceless.—
Solo Ceesay,
Rolling Stone,
28 July 2025
-
Fertilizing before heavy rain is useless at best and harmful at worst.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 July 2025
Adjective
-
Return Strong said the prison offered months of delay for one individual with a broken wrist and finger, limited mental health care, mold covering the shower walls, restricted visitation, took away access to fruit and stuck prisoners with years of solitary confinement.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
19 July 2025
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The vehicle was still in drive, and had front-end impact damage and a broken driver’s side window and was missing a piece of its roof.—
Julia Bonavita , Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
19 July 2025
Adjective
-
Agent deployment is impractical, while VDI introduces performance penalties and complexity.—
Etay Maor,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
-
Adelman, who will preside over her trial, suggested in the June 18 hearing that the current schedule was impractical.—
Daniel Bice,
jsonline.com,
15 July 2025
Adjective
-
Following a down year in 2024, Lamb and Parsons will attempt to help the Cowboys return to prominence in the NFC this season.—
Kevin McCormick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 July 2025
-
Hill had four straight seasons with at least 1,200 receiving yards before a down year in his standards in 2024.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
17 July 2025
Adjective
-
Those pens, known under the brand name EpiPen, can become unusable if subjected to heat like in a hot car in a Texas summer.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
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ByteDance failed to do so and on Jan. 18, TikTok became temporarily unusable in the U.S.—
Diana Leyva,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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Also inoperative the morning of the crash were the runway alignment indicator lights, which had not worked for more than three years.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 June 2025
-
Several election ballot scanners are currently inoperative at multiple polling locations in Cambria County in Pennsylvania.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Intermittent fasting, for example, may be unsuitable for people with pre-existing conditions or irritable bowel syndrome.—
Desireé Oostland,
Vogue,
17 July 2025
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While effective in commercial spheres, this approach to AI, which often involves a disregard for data privacy, is viewed as unsuitable for Washington.—
Dean DeBiase,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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Grok remains nonfunctional on X, where it was disabled on Tuesday afternoon following a slew of offensive and abusive posts, including some that mentioned CEO Linda Yaccarino, who resigned the following day without giving a specific reason.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
10 July 2025
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By comparison, Europe exported 400,000 metric tons of nonfunctional e-waste and 900,000 metric tons of used but functioning equipment.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
1 Sep. 2015
Cite this Entry
“Inoperable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoperable. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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