- 1(of a rule, system, etc.) not valid or able to be used Your insurance policy will become inoperative if your circumstances change.
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- 2(of a machine) not working; not functioning correctly opposite operative
inoperative
adjectiveNAmE//ɪnˈɑpərət̮ɪv//, NAmE//ɪnˈɑprət̮ɪv//
(formal)Check pronunciation: inoperative