1
as in malfunctioning
not being in working order
we have several inoperable cars on the property
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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
The Arida crossing had recently reopened before being rendered inoperable by the strike.
—
Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
Check for any wobbly pieces, strange gaps, inoperable or broken lights, raised pin pads or stickers in unusual places.
Remain vigilant shopping online
With the continued rise in online shopping, cyber criminals won't be taking a vacation any time soon amid the holiday season.
—Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 25 Nov. 2024
The incident left the train inoperable, though none of the 47 passengers on board were injured, KIRO reported.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024
Israel’s bombardment of the region has since rendered two thirds of its hospitals inoperable and driven almost two million Palestinians from their homes.
—Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inoperable 
Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
Check for any wobbly pieces, strange gaps, inoperable or broken lights, raised pin pads or stickers in unusual places.
Remain vigilant shopping online
With the continued rise in online shopping, cyber criminals won't be taking a vacation any time soon amid the holiday season.
—Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 25 Nov. 2024
The incident left the train inoperable, though none of the 47 passengers on board were injured, KIRO reported.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024
Israel’s bombardment of the region has since rendered two thirds of its hospitals inoperable and driven almost two million Palestinians from their homes.
—Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inoperable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoperable
Adjective
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Without that essential training to help surmount powerful systemic barriers, the kit would have been useless—and in that sense, the job is still woefully unfinished.—
Sheila McClear,
The Atlantic,
16 Jan. 2025
-
Esoteric knowledge of the parks, essentially useless anywhere else, is suddenly incredibly useful.—
Darryn King,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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There is a broken down vehicle on US-69 from 135th Street to Blue Valley Parkway.—
Kansas City Star Bot,
Kansas City Star,
21 Jan. 2025
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More than 250 were injured and taken to nine Baltimore hospitals, suffering abrasions, head injuries and broken bones.—
Mike Klingaman,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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On top of that, Los Angeles is set to host the 2028 Summer Olympics, which may serve as a looming — albeit impractical — deadline for recovery.—
Denise Chow,
NBC News,
22 Jan. 2025
-
Developing advanced tools entirely in-house is often impractical for financial institutions.—
Rahim Harji,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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
-
In wartime, however, the calculus changes, because most of the costs are inoperative.—
William C. Wohlforth,
Foreign Affairs,
22 June 2021
Adjective
-
The TikTok Effect This past weekend demonstrated users' willingness to switch platforms when TikTok became unusable late on Saturday night.—
Esat Dedezade,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
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On Saturday evening, a few hours before the ban took effect, TikTok became unusable for U.S. users.—
Haleluya Hadero,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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When heading out to look for lamps, take a lightbulb along to test them in-store, but also consider rewiring nonfunctional pieces.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
4 Jan. 2025
-
Space junk consists of nonfunctional satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments resulting from satellite collisions and explosions.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
28 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The following year, regulators ruled that the company is unsuitable to operate its casinos in Sydney and Queensland, placing them under government supervision.—
Yessar Rosendar,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
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That's because Blue Origin aims to recover the first stage of the New Glenn rocket, and sea states in the Atlantic Ocean have been unsuitable for an initial attempt to catch the first stage booster on a drone ship.—
Eric Berger,
Ars Technica,
11 Jan. 2025
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 30 Jan. 2025.
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