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
This includes setting up a home charger, which sometimes requires an electrical upgrade; calculating routes for longer distance travel to find where charging is available; searching for working public chargers when charging stations are jammed or chargers are inoperable.
—
Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
The experimental Type 092 is now inoperable and is replaced by its more advanced successor, the Type 094, the Federation of American Scientists wrote in a report in March.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
State investigators found numerous violations there, including a rat infestation, medications not being properly administered, inoperable emergency pull cords in some bedrooms and neglected residents.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
One project, spearheaded by a staffer now on administrative leave, according to Ortiz, sought to relocate a wastewater treatment plant in Richwood, W.V., that has been basically inoperable since a 2016 flood.
—Alana Semuels, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoperable
Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
The experimental Type 092 is now inoperable and is replaced by its more advanced successor, the Type 094, the Federation of American Scientists wrote in a report in March.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
State investigators found numerous violations there, including a rat infestation, medications not being properly administered, inoperable emergency pull cords in some bedrooms and neglected residents.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
One project, spearheaded by a staffer now on administrative leave, according to Ortiz, sought to relocate a wastewater treatment plant in Richwood, W.V., that has been basically inoperable since a 2016 flood.
—Alana Semuels, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoperable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoperable
Adjective
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And beyond… Generalizations can be either good or bad, useful or useless.—
Eli Amdur,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
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For one, any melasma treatment is practically useless without them.—
Jenny Berg,
Allure,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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Kansas City police were called to the Betty Rae’s location on Delaware Street on Oct. 13 and discovered a broken glass door and that a safe had been stolen, according to court documents.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
21 May 2025
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Inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which is repairing broken pottery with gold, Rochette embraced her physical and emotional scars as essential parts of her story.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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Imagine someone championing a project others deem impractical but later becoming the pioneer of a game-changing approach.—
Glenn Llopis,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
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Additionally, much of the country's housing stock is older, making retrofitting AC units both costly and impractical.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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While the thrust levers were the final straw, other contributing factors included the lack of regulations prohibiting landings at Congonhas Airport with an inoperative thrust reverser, especially under heavy rain conditions.—
Jordana Comiter,
People.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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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
Adjective
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The goal was to record commercials, but the footage was unusable because Biden was too incoherent.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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By predicting which cases require a human in the loop, an otherwise unusable genAI system will gain the trust needed to unleash it broadly.—
Eric Siegel,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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In contrast, cones — photoreceptors that handle bright-light and color vision — are either rare or nonfunctional in this species.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
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What to Know McIntosh stated that the hotline, maintained by the Department of Defense, had been nonfunctional for over three years without the FAA's knowledge.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Any useless, toxic or otherwise unsuitable man can become a child’s legal father, without being subject to the thorough checks that these women must face.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
23 May 2025
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Advertisement Advertisement Some insects are adapting to changing climates by moving to regions that might have previously been unsuitable.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
20 May 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
Cite this Entry
“Inoperable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoperable. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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