inoperable

[in-op-er-uh-buhl, -op-ruh-buhl]

adjective

1. not operable or practicable.

2. Medicine/Medical.,  not admitting of a surgical operation because the pathological condition is not amenable to cure by surgery or because of undue risk.

inoperable

/ -ˈɒprə-, ɪnˈɒpərəbəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being implemented or operated; unworkable

2. surgery not suitable for operation without risk, esp (of a malignant tumour) because metastasis has rendered surgery useless

Other Word Forms

• inoperably adverb
• inoperability noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inoperable¹

First recorded in 1885–90; in- ³ + operable

Example Sentences

State investigators, the lawsuit alleges, found that the grass was brown, weeds and dirt covered markers and water spigots were inoperable.

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The outlets in his dormitory were inoperable, and because of the overcrowding and short-staffing, guards couldn’t take him to another area to plug them in, said his fiancee, Mildred Pierre.

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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.

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They are inoperable and unable to be removed given how they had spread through his brain.

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Defence Secretary John Healey told MPs that "without this deal, within weeks, we could face losing legal rulings and within just a few years the base would become inoperable".

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Related Words

• impractical/impracticable www.thesaurus.com
• infeasible 
• unfeasible 
• unworkable