1
as in malfunctioning
not being in working order
we have several inoperable cars on the property
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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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Recent Examples of inoperable
Those issues included inoperable radios -- in one instance, the head of the Pittsburgh Field Office gave his radio to the lead advance agent on the ground because his radio wasn’t working.
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Luke Barr, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2024
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
Huge numbers of men were swept up in the two-week-long raid, which left the hospital destroyed and inoperable.
—Mick Krever, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inoperable 
Luke Barr, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2024
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
Huge numbers of men were swept up in the two-week-long raid, which left the hospital destroyed and inoperable.
—Mick Krever, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inoperable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoperable
Adjective
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This is a fashion collab designed for women’s bodies to be looked at, but the functionality is useless.Jamie Aranoff, Outside Online, 12 Dec. 2024
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It was built on NBA men who subsidized that useless league for decades.Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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At the hospital, Maggie unknowingly leaves a trail of blood after cutting her hand on broken glass.Jordana Comiter, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
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The broken glass and defaced portraits of the now fugitive president crunching under our feet.James Longman, ABC News, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Trying to dampen political polarization in the news and on social media would be an obvious approach—although an impractical one, the two say, given how polarization has marketplace benefits in boosting audience sizes, engagement and political donations.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
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Consultants have traditionally filled this gap by providing impartial assessments, yet external advisors may miss crucial insights into a company’s products, culture or internal processes, leading to high-cost, impractical recommendations.Glen Robinson, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Perhaps most notably, both sides deploy decoy vehicles—either inoperative derelicts or inflatable fakes—to draw enemy fire away from real vehicles.David Axe, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
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In wartime, however, the calculus changes, because most of the costs are inoperative.William C. Wohlforth, Foreign Affairs, 22 June 2021
Adjective
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That also would mean that TikTok wouldn’t be able to send updates, security patches and bug fixes, and over time the app would likely become unusable — not to mention a security risk.Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 11 Dec. 2024
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Initially, city officials suggested that only corrupted, unusable data had been accessed.Lars Daniel, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Photo: Max Burkhalter The Brooklyn home of designer Ellen Van Dusen shows that even a nonfunctional fireplace can be on fire, figuratively speaking.Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 20 Nov. 2024
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The shop has been closed since at least 2022 and the roasting business now appears dormant, its website nonfunctional.Ray Stern, The Arizona Republic, 16 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Human services settings can suffer tremendously from unsuitable employees, who may jeopardize the health, safety or dignity of those in their care.Debra Rinell, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
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That alone makes rainbow eucalyptus unsuitable for most yards, but this Southeast Asia native is also an invasive pest in the southernmost portions of the U.S. To avoid issues, some people are growing rainbow eucalyptus indoors.Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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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
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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
Thesaurus Entries Near inoperable
Cite this Entry
“Inoperable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoperable. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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