inoperable

American  

[in-op-er-uh-buhl, -op-ruh-buhl] / ɪnˈɒp ər ə bəl, -ˈɒp rə bəl /

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.

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inoperable British  

/ -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

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Other Word Forms

• inoperability noun
• inoperably adverb

Etymology

Origin of inoperable

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

Example Sentences

At night, after the bookstore closed, he, sometimes with the help of friends, pushed the inoperable vehicle into the lot at Quirky and slept in it.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

A 2023 law which proposed a similar ban on social media for young teenagers proved inoperable after courts decided it broke European law.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026

The city’s parking enforcement and transportation officers were removed from the field over the weekend after copper wire thieves damaged a key communications tower in Elysian Park, leaving several departments with inoperable radios.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2025

In 2020, they found another that was inoperable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

Is this headache a symptom of an inoperable brain tumor?

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

Related Words

• impractical/impracticable
• infeasible
• unfeasible
• unworkable