[ adj ] not working or taking effect <adj.all> an inoperative law
Inoperative \In*op"er*a*tive\, a. [Pref. in- not + operative.] Not operative; not active; producing no effects; as, laws renderd inoperative by neglect; inoperative remedies or processes.
Nothing in the Macmillan decision "suggests that these criteria _ particularly `long-term strategic' plans _ become inoperative in the face of an all-cash, all-shares tender offer," Time said.
He tells of flying with another Picker engineer to Panhandle Diagnostics in Amarillo, Texas. His instructions: "remove key pieces" of Picker's diagnostic machines and render them inoperative, he says.
The agency said it found "a significant number" of inoperative alarms.
`At the elementary level, kids are wearing inoperative beepers to appear tough or macho and mimic the older kids.
Britain's National Westminster Bank Corp. said portions of its New York trading room remained inoperative.
They also cited inoperative toilets and dishwashers, and possible asbestos-containing material.