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View synonyms for dispensable

dispensable

[dih-spen-suh-buhl]

adjective

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

  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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • dispensability noun
  • dispensableness noun
  • nondispensable adjective
  • undispensable adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dispensable1

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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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“China-U.S. cooperation is no longer a dispensable option for the two countries or even for the world, but a must-answer question that must be seriously addressed,” he said.

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"People can simply go berserk because they're being treated like dispensable meat which deserves no sympathy. And this attitude is in reality not uncommon," the account calling itself the Grey Zone Philologist said.

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