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
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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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inoperative
But India, citing national security concerns, has publicly provided little evidence linking the attack to Pakistan, which denies involvement and says that Lashkar-e-Taiba is largely inoperative.
—
Zia Ur-Rehman, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
At the same time, Israel has acted to render what is left of Assad’s navy inoperative.
—Bassem Eid, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2025
Although there several election ballot scanners were inoperative at multiple polling locations in Cambria County in Pennsylvania, no widespread voting problems had been reported by the late afternoon.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for inoperative
Zia Ur-Rehman, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
At the same time, Israel has acted to render what is left of Assad’s navy inoperative.
—Bassem Eid, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2025
Although there several election ballot scanners were inoperative at multiple polling locations in Cambria County in Pennsylvania, no widespread voting problems had been reported by the late afternoon.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for inoperative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoperative
Adjective
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While the field never went entirely dormant, the collapse of dedicated hardware, the brittleness of expert systems, and the failure of national mega-projects combined to bring about the second AI winter.—
Paulo Carvão,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
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Plants require good moisture to bloom but tolerate drier soils when dormant.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The board’s bylaws state only the chair or someone authorized by the chair can call a meeting, so any decisions made during that meeting and subsequent meetings held after are invalid, the injunction states.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
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What To Know In an August 1 judicial interpretation, China's Supreme People's Court announced that employment contracts that exclude social-insurance contributions are invalid.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Interim manager Ray Montgomery agreed that plan made sense, despite the recent number of off days.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
12 Aug. 2025
-
The game was suspended due to rain in the first inning and then completed the following afternoon, which was supposed to be an off day.—
John Perrotto,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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There is a broken down vehicle on I-35 between Antioch Road/Exit 230 and I-635/Exit 231.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
25 Aug. 2025
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Signs of hair breakage include split ends, flyaways, broken strands, dryness, and hair that stops growing at a certain length.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Morales, barred from running due to term limits and facing an arrest warrant on statutory rape charges, urged supporters to cast null ballots in protest.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
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Shut out, Morales campaigns for a null vote In late July, the former president began actively campaigning for the invalid vote.—
Mollie J. Cohen,
The Conversation,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But in recent years, a number of storefronts along Platte have sat vacant where lively watering holes and eateries once stood.—
Sara Rosenthal,
Denver Post,
27 Aug. 2025
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Pearce confirmed that, due to the title being vacant, Vaquer was unfortunately being removed from the Clash in Paris card.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Inflation started to take off on the heels of the new framework taking effect and eventually reached a four-decade peak in 2022, rendering the strategy inoperable.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Aug. 2025
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However, in January 2025, TIGTA visited eight TACs with inoperable kiosks and found the machines were still not working.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Terron Armstead’s retirement and Calais Campbell’s departure to Arizona left a massive leadership void in the locker room.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
24 Aug. 2025
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The no-confidence motion is rendered void, and Dalton is reinstated as PM.—
Jack King,
Vulture,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inoperative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoperative. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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