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
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
-
This means your lawn is dormant and should be revived with watering.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
22 July 2025
-
Shipbuilding in the United States has been all but dormant.—
Adam Reiss,
NBC news,
17 July 2025
Adjective
-
Beijing refused to participate in the proceedings and maintains the award is invalid.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 July 2025
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Perlmutter is now suing the Trump administration, alleging that her firing was invalid; the government maintains that the executive branch has the authority to dismiss her.—
Kate Knibbs,
ArsTechnica,
28 June 2025
Adjective
-
Avoid wrapping leftover cut lemons in aluminum foil, which can react with the acidity in the fruit, causing an off flavor.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
15 July 2025
-
No team could use an off day than the New York Mets.—
John Perrotto,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
Return Strong said the prison offered months of delay for one individual with a broken wrist and finger, limited mental health care, mold covering the shower walls, restricted visitation, took away access to fruit and stuck prisoners with years of solitary confinement.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
19 July 2025
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As with old wood blooming hydrangeas, remove broken or spindly limbs at the main stem.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
19 July 2025
Adjective
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Trump had previously signed an executive order on his first day in office announcing that tax deals agreed upon between the Biden administration and the OECD were null.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
27 June 2025
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Even basic tasks, like knowing the password to a legacy system or understanding why a data table has null values, can be governed by undocumented decisions made years ago.—
Kevin Novak,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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After hosting pop ups at Batch and elsewhere for a couple of years, Lit offered Fulco the vacant trailer space at Batch.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
25 July 2025
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None of the 408 properties — occupied or vacant — at the center of the litigation have a certificate of compliance, according to the city's lawsuit, which also alleges hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid blight violations.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Additionally, two laboratory machines were inoperable for four days in February due to a lack of reagents, which are substances used to carry out tests, because the hospital had not paid the supplier.—
Scott Schwebke,
Oc Register,
12 July 2025
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Though an initial damage analysis expressed skepticism, a consensus emerged that Iran’s enrichment and weaponization infrastructure, including centrifuges and uranium metalworking equipment, was destroyed or rendered inoperable.—
Nabih Bulos
Foreign Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
Temporary documents that once allowed others access to certain services are now void.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
17 July 2025
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To avoid violating the statute and imposing discipline that is void, HOAs need to take action soon.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
Oc Register,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inoperative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoperative. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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