inoperable

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

/ ɪnˈɒp ər ə bəl, -ˈɒp rə bəl /

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See synonyms for inoperable on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not operable or practicable.

Medicine/Medical. not admitting of a surgical operation because the pathological condition is not amenable to cure by surgery or because of undue risk.Compare operable (def. 1).

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Origin of inoperable

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

Words nearby inoperable

in one's shell, in one's tracks, in one stroke, in one's way, Inönü, inoperable, inoperative, inoperculate, inopportune, in orbit, in order

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use inoperable in a sentence

Her cancer relapsed the following year with several new, inoperable brain tumors.
St. Jude Hoards Billions While Many of Its Families Drain Their Savings|by David Armstrong and Ryan Gabrielson|November 12, 2021|ProPublica
Ash blanketed the solar charging panels of UV spectrometers meant to measure gas, rendering them inoperable for months.
How to study a volcano when it destroys your lab|Sarah Emerson|October 5, 2021|Popular-Science
Even still, Kim said she expects supporters to move forward on a 2022 ballot measure that would strike the inoperable language from the books, for good measure.
Politics Report: The 180-Degree Shift in Union Construction Politics|Andrew Keatts|July 17, 2021|Voice of San Diego
In May 2019, my dad was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer.
Watching My Dad Die Changed My Life|Cascade Tuholske|May 20, 2021|Outside Online

Past analysis failed to control for equipment that was transferred between agencies, unused, or otherwise inoperable.
New Studies Say Demilitarizing Police Departments Does Not Increase Crime|Kirsten West Savali|December 11, 2020|Essence.com
But momentum is building to force manufacturers to install ‘kill switches’ that render stolen phones inoperable.
The Best of the Beast, May 5-12|The Daily Beast|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
ABC News reported Monday morning that Scott had inoperable brain cancer.
Tony Scott’s Death a Reminder of the Quiet Scourge of Elderly Suicide|Eliza Shapiro|August 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A week ago, Bill called to tell me that he had pancreatic cancer and that it was inoperable.
Remembering Bill Safire|Morton Janklow|September 27, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Similarly, at the present time, post-basic meningitis of infants is rightly deemed inoperable.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
In inoperable cases benefit may follow the use of the X-rays, or of radium.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles
The fourth case supposes the cancer is inoperable but the child viable.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley
The third case is that of an inoperable cancer and an inviable child.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley

British Dictionary definitions for inoperable

inoperable

/ (ɪnˈɒpərəbəl, -ˈɒprə-) /

adjective

incapable of being implemented or operated; unworkable

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

Derived forms of inoperable

inoperability or inoperableness, nouninoperably, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

inoperable

Origin of inoperable

Words nearby inoperable

Words related to inoperable

How to use inoperable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for inoperable

Derived forms of inoperable