inapplicable

[ in-ap-li-kuh-buhl ]

adjective

1. not applicable; unsuitable.

   Synonyms: inapposite, irrelevant

inapplicable

/ ˌɪnəˈplɪk-; ɪnˈæplɪkəbəl /

adjective

1. not applicable or suitable; irrelevant

Derived Forms

• inˌapplicaˈbility, noun
• inˈapplicably, adverb

Other Words From

• in·appli·ca·bili·ty in·appli·ca·ble·ness noun
• in·appli·ca·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of inapplicable¹

First recorded in 1650–60; in- ³ + applicable

Example Sentences

"State laws and deadlines concerning 'replacement' of candidates are inapplicable here," he said.

From Salon

“A lot of what we deal with is just theory in the classroom and it feels really inapplicable and then here we are seeing those same theories and ideas about activism and decolonization actually play out.”

From Los Angeles Times

And when President Clinton unsuccessfully argued that a civil lawsuit against him should be delayed until he left office, he didn’t claim that the statute authorizing the lawsuit was inapplicable because it didn’t specifically authorize suing him.

From Slate

If the principle of presidential immunity is based on the Constitution, he said, it would mean Congress “cannot provide a remedy against presidential misconduct, and the criminal laws of the United States are wholly inapplicable to the president. ... I find this approach completely unacceptable,” adding it “places the president above the law.”

From Los Angeles Times

National and state Republican committees argued the date requirement is useful in detecting fraud and that the materiality provision of the Civil Rights Act was inapplicable.

From Seattle Times