If something is unusable, it is in such bad condition — or so badly made, so broken, so dirty — that you cannot use it at all. Not "hard to use", not "not very good": you simply cannot use it for its job.

If something is unusable如果某樣東西是unusable，it is in such bad condition — or so badly made, so broken, so dirty代表它狀況差到——或做得太差、太壞、太髒——that you cannot use it at all讓你完全沒辦法使用它。Not "hard to use", not "not very good"不是「難用」，也不是「不太好」：you simply cannot use it for its job而是你根本沒辦法拿它來做它該做的事。

A phone that fell in the sea is unusable. A road buried under mud after a typhoon is unusable. A photo so dark you cannot see anyone's face is unusable.

A phone that fell in the sea is unusable掉進海裡的手機是unusable的。A road buried under mud after a typhoon is unusable颱風過後被泥土埋住的道路是unusable的。A photo so dark you cannot see anyone's face is unusable暗到看不清楚任何人臉的照片是unusable的。

The word points at the thing, not at the person: it says the object has failed, not that you did something wrong.

The word points at the thing, not at the person這個字指向的是那個東西，不是那個人：it says the object has failed, not that you did something wrong它說的是東西壞了、失敗了，不是說你做錯了什麼。

It is a slightly formal, written-feeling word. In everyday talk people say "it's broken", "it doesn't work", "you can't use it any more". You will meet "unusable" in news reports, insurance letters, school notices, and repair shops — anywhere someone is telling you officially that a thing is finished. That formal feel is also why it sounds calm even when the news is bad.

It is a slightly formal, written-feeling word這是一個帶點正式、書面感的字。In everyday talk people say "it's broken", "it doesn't work", "you can't use it any more"日常講話人們會說「it's broken壞了」、「it doesn't work不能用了」、「you can't use it any more不能再用了」。You will meet "unusable" in news reports, insurance letters, school notices, and repair shops你會在新聞報導、保險公司的信、學校通知，還有修理行裡遇到「unusable」——anywhere someone is telling you officially that a thing is finished凡是有人正式跟你說一件東西已經完蛋的場合都會用。That formal feel is also why it sounds calm even when the news is bad那種正式感也是為什麼即使消息不好，這個字聽起來還是很冷靜。

One thing to notice: unusable does not always mean destroyed. A room can be unusable because the ceiling leaks; fix the leak and the room comes back. So the word describes the state a thing is in right now, and sometimes that state can change.

One thing to notice: unusable does not always mean destroyed有一件事要注意：unusable不代表一定被毀壞了。A room can be unusable because the ceiling leaks一個房間可能因為天花板漏水而unusable；fix the leak and the room comes back把漏水修好，房間就恢復了。So the word describes the state a thing is in right now所以這個字描述的是一樣東西當下的狀態，and sometimes that state can change而這個狀態有時候是可以改變的。

People also stretch it a little to mean "useless for my purpose" — a teacher might call a student's data unusable when the numbers are all there but written so messily that nobody can read them.

People also stretch it a little to mean "useless for my purpose"人們也會稍微延伸它的意思，變成「對我的目的來說沒用」——when the numbers are all there but written so messily that nobody can read them當數字全都在，但寫得太亂沒人看得懂時，a teacher might call a student's data unusable老師可能會說一個學生的資料unusable。

Also: things can be unusable for one job and fine for another. Cracked rice is unusable for a nice bowl of white rice, but perfectly good for congee.

Also: things can be unusable for one job and fine for another還有：東西可能對某件事來說unusable，對另一件事來說卻沒問題。Cracked rice is unusable for a nice bowl of white rice碎米拿來煮一碗漂亮的白飯是unusable的，but perfectly good for congee但拿來煮粥就非常好用。