invalid
gb/ɪnvˈælɪd/ us/ɪnvˈælɪd/
B1
Inglés
~ 6900
Acepciones
0 acepciones
adjective
B2
property
1
Not legally acceptable or in force
Not officially or legally OK, so it cannot be used or accepted.
Patrón de uso:
[something] is invalid
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes say 'illegal' when they mean 'invalid'. 'Illegal' means against the law; 'invalid' means something has no legal or official effect, which may or may not be a crime. Another mistake is using 'not correct' instead of 'invalid' when talking about documents, tickets, or contracts that are not accepted.
Sinónimos
void (More legal-sounding; very common in contracts and formal documents.)
|
not valid (More everyday and direct; less formal than 'invalid'.)
Antónimos
valid (Means legally or officially acceptable and in force.)
|
binding (Stresses that something must be obeyed because it has legal force.)
Colocaciones
invalid contract
|invalid ticket
|invalid license
|invalid vote
|declare [something] invalid
|render [something] invalid
Temas
law
|administration
|daily_life
Ejemplos
- The court ruled that the agreement was invalid.
- Your parking ticket is invalid because it has the wrong date.
- The company said the warranty was invalid after the phone was opened.
- Any votes cast after 8 p.m. will be considered invalid.
- He was driving on an invalid license and received a fine.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- My bus ticket is invalid on weekends.
- The judge said their marriage was invalid.
- This coupon is invalid after the end of the month.
- His visa became invalid when he changed jobs.
- They found the contract invalid because it was not signed.
unknown
B2
property
2
Not logically or factually sound
Not based on good logic or true facts, so the idea or argument should not be accepted.
Patrón de uso:
an invalid [argument/claim/criticism/assumption]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse 'invalid' with 'false'. A statement can be false but still logically valid inside an argument, and an argument can be invalid even if its conclusion happens to be true. Outside formal logic, many speakers just use 'invalid' to mean that an argument is not acceptable, so learners do not need to master the strict logical use at first. Also, do not use 'invalid' to describe people; that use is old-fashioned and offensive.
Sinónimos
flawed (Suggests a mistake or weakness; less formal and less strictly logical than 'invalid'.)
|
unsound (Common in academic or formal criticism; stresses weak or wrong reasoning.)
Antónimos
valid (In this context, means logically correct or well supported by facts.)
|
sound (Emphasizes that the reasoning is solid and reliable.)
Colocaciones
invalid argument
|invalid claim
|invalid criticism
|invalid conclusion
|invalid assumption
|logically invalid
Temas
logic
|communication
|academia
|education
Ejemplos
- Her conclusion is invalid because it is based on incorrect data.
- That is an invalid argument; it does not follow from the evidence.
- The judge dismissed the case, calling the legal reasoning invalid.
- His criticism was invalid, since he had not read the full report.
- If one of the key assumptions is invalid, the whole theory collapses.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The teacher said my argument was invalid.
- This is an invalid reason to hate someone.
- Their claim is invalid because they have no proof.
- The study is invalid if the numbers are wrong.
- If one step is invalid, the answer is not correct.
adjective
technical
B1
property
3
Not accepted by a system
Not accepted by a computer or system because it is written wrongly or does not follow the rules.
Patrón de uso:
invalid [password/input/code/email address]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes think 'invalid password' means the password no longer exists. Often it simply means the password you entered does not match what the system has saved. Also, 'invalid' is preferred over 'wrong' or 'not correct' in on‑screen messages and technical writing.
Sinónimos
incorrect (More general; does not always mean that a system rejects it, only that it is not right.)
|
unacceptable (Stresses that the system or process will not allow it.)
Antónimos
valid (In computing, means formatted correctly and accepted by the system.)
|
recognized (Emphasizes that the system knows and accepts the input.)
Colocaciones
invalid password
|invalid input
|invalid email address
|invalid code
|invalid command
|invalid login
Temas
technology
|computing
|administration
Ejemplos
- The website keeps saying my password is invalid.
- Please enter a valid email address; your current one is invalid.
- The system rejected the file due to an invalid format.
- If you type an invalid command, the program will show an error message.
- Your login attempt failed because of an invalid username or password.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The screen shows a message: 'Invalid password.'
- I cannot log in because my code is invalid.
- The form says my phone number is invalid.
- The computer does not accept this file. It says the type is invalid.
- If the card number is invalid, the bank will stop the payment.
Sustantivo
archaic
C1
entity
4
Person very sick or disabled
An old word for a person who is very sick or disabled for a long time and cannot care for themselves. It is now considered rude.
Patrón de uso:
an invalid
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes think 'invalid' is a normal, modern word for a disabled person and use it in everyday speech. In current English, this is old-fashioned and often offensive. Use 'disabled person', 'a person with a disability', or a more specific description instead.
Sinónimos
disabled person (Modern and neutral; focuses on the person, not only the illness.)
|
patient (A person receiving medical care; does not always mean long‑term or severely disabled.)
Antónimos
healthy person (Someone without serious illness or disability.)
Colocaciones
an invalid in bed
|lifelong invalid
|housebound invalid
|care for an invalid
Temas
health
|disability
|history
Ejemplos
- She spent years caring for her father, an invalid after the accident.
- In the old novel, the heroine's mother is a fragile invalid who never leaves her room.
- They hired a nurse to look after the elderly invalid.
- The character, a war invalid, appears only briefly in the story.
- He lived as an invalid for decades following his illness.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- In this old book, the main character is an invalid.
- Her grandfather became an invalid after the war.
- The family pays a nurse to help the invalid.
- The story tells of an invalid who cannot walk.
- We do not use the word 'invalid' for a sick person today; it sounds rude.
adjective
archaic
C1
property
5
Very sick or disabled person
An old word to describe a person who is very sick or disabled for a long time and cannot care for themselves. It is now considered rude.
Patrón de uso:
an invalid [husband/mother/etc.]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes copy 'invalid husband' or 'invalid mother' from older books or subtitles and use it in modern speech. In today's English this sounds rude or very old‑fashioned. Say 'seriously ill', 'disabled', or use a more specific medical description instead.
Sinónimos
seriously ill (Describes the person's condition without the outdated label.)
Antónimos
healthy (Describes a person without serious illness or disability.)
Colocaciones
invalid husband
|invalid mother
|invalid child
|bedridden invalid wife
Temas
health
|disability
|history
Ejemplos
- She devoted her life to caring for her invalid husband.
- The novel describes an invalid child who rarely leaves her room.
- His invalid mother depended on him for everything.
- After the stroke, he became an invalid old man, confined to his bed.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- In this story, the girl has an invalid mother.
- He stays home to look after his invalid wife.
- The film shows an invalid child in a big house.
- Today, people avoid calling someone an invalid because it sounds unkind.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
invalid
AFI
GB/ɪnvˈælɪd/
US/ɪnvˈælɪd/
Sílabas y acento
in - val - id (3 sílabas)
Stress on 2nd syllable (val)
Formas de la palabra
Adjective
- Base: invalid
Noun
- Base: invalid
- Plural: invalids
Familia de palabras
Forms
invalids
noun
Core family
Related words
invalidate
verb
invalidity
noun
Advanced or less common
validly
adverb
invalidly
adverb
validator
noun
Expresiones
invalid argument
1/ɪnvˈælɪd ˈɑɹɡjəmənt/
fixed phrase
Argument with faulty reasoning
An argument that does not follow good logic, so the conclusion does not really come from the reasons.
Ejemplos
- The professor explained why this is an invalid argument in formal logic.
- Saying 'everyone does it' is an invalid argument for breaking the rules.
- He dismissed their complaint as an invalid argument based on rumors, not facts.
invalid input
1/ɪnvˈælɪd ˈɪnpˌʊt/
fixed phrase
technical
Data or command system rejects
Information or a command that a computer or machine does not accept because it is not in the correct form or is not allowed.
Ejemplos
- The calculator shows an 'invalid input' error when you type letters instead of numbers.
- If the form says 'invalid input', check that you filled in every field correctly.
- The program stopped because it received invalid input from the user.
invalid password
1/ɪnvˈælɪd pˈæswˌɚd/
fixed phrase
technical
Password not accepted by a system
A password that the computer or website does not accept, usually because it is typed incorrectly or does not follow the rules.
Ejemplos
- I keep getting an 'invalid password' message when I try to log in.
- If you enter an invalid password three times, your account will be locked.
- The app says my password is invalid, so I need to reset it.
invalid ticket
1/ɪnvˈælɪd tˈɪkɪt/
fixed phrase
Ticket not accepted for use
A ticket that you cannot use for a bus, train, event, etc., because it is not correct, not for that time, or has already been used.
Ejemplos
- The inspector said my train pass was an invalid ticket on this route.
- If you forget to sign it, your ticket may be treated as an invalid ticket.
- They refused us entry because the barcode made the ticket look like an invalid ticket.