interoperable

Meanings

adjectiveinteroperable (not comparable)

not comparablecomputing(of a system or device) Able to communicate, and exchange data with another system or device.
A person with a Gmail account can send messages to a person with a Yahoo account because email systems are interoperable.
2022 October 13, Binyamin Appelbaum, “It Shouldn’t Matter So Much Whether Elon Musk Buys Twitter”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 Oct 2022
1 more example
Patents exist as incentive for inventors to reveal the workings of their inventions; to receive a patent, you must provide the patent office with a functional description of your invention, which is then published. Even though others may not copy your invention during the patent period, they can study your patent filings and use them to figure out how to do the same thing in different ways, or how to make an interoperable add-on to your invention.
2020 September 7, Cory Doctorow, “IP”, in Locus Magazine
especiallynot comparablegovernmentOperationally compatible, e.g. with other armed forces.
One of the key features associated with VLR [very light rail] vehicles is that they are not interoperable with main line trains. That is the domain of tram-trains.
2025 July 23, Peter Plisner, “You say you want a revolution...”, in RAIL, number 1040, page 39

adjectiveable to exchange and use information

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Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

German interoperabel, kompatibel

Greek διαλειτουργικός

Portuguese interoperável

Cite this entry

APA

interoperable. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/interoperable

MLA

“interoperable.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/interoperable. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “interoperable,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/interoperable.