What does inoperative mean?
Inoperative means that something is not working, operating, or having an effect. It is commonly applied to machinery, facilities, procedures, and systems that have ceased to function, as in a warning that an alarm is inoperative. The term also has formal and legal uses: a regulation may be described as inoperative when it is no longer in force or has been suspended. Although it resembles inactive, inoperative usually implies a more definite failure to operate or a lack of effective operation rather than merely a temporary state of inactivity. The word is especially appropriate in technical, administrative, and legal contexts where the status of a device, system, or rule must be stated clearly. It can also describe something rendered unable to perform its intended function, without necessarily implying that the cause of the failure is permanent.
adjectiveNot functioning or operating; inactive or having no effect. In legal and technical contexts, it may mean that a rule, mechanism, or system is not in operation.
- Not functioning, working, or operating.
- Not in force or having no practical effect.
"The safety system remained inoperative until the faulty sensor had been replaced."
"The emergency generator was inoperative during the power failure."
"The committee declared the old rule inoperative from the beginning of the new year."
The prefix in- does the heavy lifting: inoperative means “not operating,” whether describing a stalled machine or a rule that has no effect.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does inoperative come from?
Inoperative was formed in English by combining the Latin prefix in-, meaning “not” or “without,” with operative, meaning “active” or “in operation.” Operative derives from Latin operativus, which is associated with operari, “to work” or “to operate.” That Latin root also underlies operation, operator, operate, and cooperative.
How inoperative is actually used
The word is chiefly formal, technical, or legal. It is more specific than inactive: an inactive system may be intentionally idle, while an inoperative system is generally unable to function or is not being applied.
Easily confused with inoperative
Inoperative means currently not functioning or not in effect, whereas inoperable commonly means impossible or impracticable to operate, especially in medical contexts.