inoperable

adjective

in·​op·​er·​a·​ble (ˌ)in-ˈä-p(ə-)rə-bəl 

1

: not treatable or remediable by surgery

an inoperable brain tumor

2

: not functioning : inoperative

Synonyms

• down
• inoperative
• kaput
• kaputt
• malfunctioning
• nonfunctional
• nonfunctioning
• nonoperating

Examples of inoperable in a Sentence

a patient with inoperable cancer

The device makes the car inoperable when a key is not used to start it.

Recent Examples on the Web

Serving many different customers The advantages of such a platform include superior image quality, less congested orbits, and natural debris removal as inoperable satellites are pulled down into Earth's atmosphere and burnt up. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 3 Mar. 2025

Four refrigeration units were inoperable at the time of the inspection. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2025

Diamond had been diagnosed with an inoperable sarcoma, a rare kind of cancer, according to his family. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2025

With that and other problems — such as the sidebar becoming inoperable — the fact that File Explorer hasn’t crashed doesn’t matter. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from French inopérable

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for inoperable

• operable
• interoperable

Kids Definition

inoperable

adjective

in·​op·​er·​a·​ble (ˈ)in-ˈäp-(ə-)rə-bəl 

1

: not treatable by surgery

an inoperable cancer

2

: not in working order : inoperative

Medical Definition

inoperable

adjective

in·​op·​er·​a·​ble (ˈ)in-ˈäp-(ə-)rə-bəl 

: not treatable or remediable by or suitable for surgery

an advanced and inoperable cancer

a developing cataract still inoperable

inoperability

(ˌ)in-ˌäp-(ə-)rə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

plural inoperabilities