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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in malfunctioning
not being in working order
looking for an expert to fix the inoperative grandfather clock
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inoperative
On Tuesday morning, several election ballot scanners were inoperative at multiple polling locations in Pennsylvania.
—
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
By June 73 per cent of the country’s thermal power generating units had been rendered inoperative.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for inoperative
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
By June 73 per cent of the country’s thermal power generating units had been rendered inoperative.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for inoperative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoperative
Adjective
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Wait for the fig plant to go dormant before moving it indoors.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
12 Feb. 2025
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Listen to this article During his dormant rookie season, Jalen Pickett occasionally played one-on-one against Jamal Murray.—
Bennett Durando,
The Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The website collects your personal information and then asks you for payment methods, telling you that each one you input is invalid.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
24 Feb. 2025
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Yoon’s lawyers have also repeatedly argued that his arrest was politically motivated and that the warrant was invalid because of flaws in the way the investigation was conducted.—
Mike Valerio,
CNN,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The companies are also planning another event in December for athletes in leagues that are in their off seasons at the time, like the WNBA, NWSL, and MLB.—
Alex Weprin,
The Hollywood Reporter,
6 Feb. 2025
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There will likely come a time in the postseason when one of TCU’s big three is having an off night and Emma-Nnopu could be the player that can step up in that moment.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Infielder Nick Madrigal was moved to the 60-day IL with a broken shoulder to make room on the 40-man roster.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2025
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Deo’s family told the outlet that the car had a broken window and blood on the front seat, and his shoes were left inside.—
Rhiannon Saegert,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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According to the sages of Wall Street, the legacy cable/satellite/telco-TV bundle is as dead as the Diplodocus, although there are still an awful lot of customers banging around in that null set.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
10 Jan. 2025
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Or at least Eren couldn’t, and his conclusion ably demonstrated the scientific value of null results.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Previous fires at the building, which has been vacant for several years, have been attributed to squatters.—
Harry Harris,
The Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2025
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The office, however, would officially be vacant, and Williams would need to call a special election within 80 days to elect a new mayor for the rest of Adams’ term, which runs through the end of the calendar year.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
TIME,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The firings have rendered both boards essentially inoperable, without enough members to carry out many of their responsibilities.—
Stephen Neukam,
Axios,
31 Jan. 2025
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Since the ban goes into effect on Jan. 19, the app could be inoperable as soon as 12:01 a.m.—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Raiders in the past have been hamstrung by their ability to do large signing bonuses, by adding void years, and by converting salary cap to cash to create cap space.—
Emile Nuh,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
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Inside Oakland’s two courthouses, numerous courtrooms were void and dark without court clerks to record proceedings.—
Jakob Rodgers,
The Mercury News,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inoperative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoperative. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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