dispensable

[dih-spen-suh-buhl]

adjective

1. capable of being dispensed with or done without; not necessary or essential.

   Synonyms: extraneous, unimportant, unessential, unnecessary, expendable

2. capable of being dispensed or administered.

   The money is not dispensable at present.

3. Roman Catholic Church.,  capable of being permitted or forgiven, as an offense or sin.

dispensable

/ dɪˈspɛnsəbəl /

adjective

1. not essential; expendable

2. capable of being distributed

3. (of a law, vow, etc) able to be relaxed

Other Word Forms

• dispensability noun
• dispensableness noun
• nondispensable adjective
• undispensable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dispensable¹

1525–35; < Medieval Latin dispēnsābilis, equivalent to Latin dispēns ( āre ) to distribute by weight ( dispense ) + -ābilis -able

Example Sentences

I supported myself as a freelance designer before I got married, but after marriage, Francis’s career took off quickly and made my earnings dispensable.

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His approach is straightforward: center the writing without pretending the life is dispensable.

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Matthew Mott was dispensable enough to take the fall for the previous failures but Brendon McCullum, given the keys to all England sides to mould as he pleases until 2027, is not.

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"Decision makers are content to let this continue. To them, Palestinians are dispensable."

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“It is very shocking that such a large collection at a wealthy university would be deemed dispensable,” said Regina Baucom, a plant geneticist at the University of Michigan.

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