adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ɪnˈɒp(ə)ɹətɪv/
General-American:/ɪnˈɑp(ə)ɹətɪv/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:IH2 N AA1 P ER0 AH0 T IH0 V
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Not working or functioning; either idle or broken.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
No longer legally binding.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adjective
Meaning 3
not working or taking effect
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
an inoperative law
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: operative
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- English operative English inoperative From in- + operative.
Across languages
Translations
26 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
бездеен
(bezdeen)
— not working or functioning
Bulgarian:
недействащ
(nedejstvašt)
— not working or functioning
Catalan:
inoperant
— not working or functioning
Esperanto:
nefunkcianta
— not working or functioning
Esperanto:
nefunkciantaj
— not working or functioning
Finnish:
käyttämätön
— not working or functioning
Finnish:
epäkunnossa
— not working or functioning
Finnish:
rikki
— not working or functioning
Finnish:
toimimaton
— not working or functioning
Finnish:
käyttökelvoton
— not working or functioning
Finnish:
toimintakyvytön
— not working or functioning
French:
inopérant
— not working or functioning
German:
defekt
— not working or functioning
Latin:
inoperāns
— not working or functioning
Manx:
neuobbragh
— not working or functioning
Portuguese:
inoperante
— not working or functioning
Russian:
неде́йствующий
(nedéjstvujuščij)
— not working or functioning
Russian:
нефункциони́рующий
(nefunkcionírujuščij)
— not working or functioning
Russian:
неиспра́вный
(neisprávnyj)
— not working or functioning
Russian:
нерабо́тающий
(nerabótajuščij)
— not working or functioning
Spanish:
inoperante
— not working or functioning
Finnish:
kumottu
— no longer legally binding
Finnish:
päättynyt
— no longer legally binding
Russian:
неде́йствующий
(nedéjstvujuščij)
— no longer legally binding
Russian:
недействи́тельный
(nedejstvítelʹnyj)
— no longer legally binding
Russian:
не име́ющий си́лы
— no longer legally binding
