expendable

[ik-spen-duh-buh l]

adjective

capable of being expended.

(of an item of equipment or supply) consumed in use or not reusable.

considered to be not worth keeping or maintaining.

Military. (of personnel, equipment, or supplies) capable of being sacrificed in order to accomplish a military objective.

noun

Usually expendables. an expendable person or thing.

Origin of expendable

First recorded in 1795–1805; expend + -able

Related formsex·pend·a·bil·i·ty, nounnon·ex·pend·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for expendability

Historical Examples of expendability

Ivy, after ten years in Interstel, you should know that experience and expendability are synonymous.
Attrition
Jim Wannamaker

British Dictionary definitions for expendability

expendable

adjective

that may be expended or used up

not essential; not worth preserving

able to be sacrificed to achieve an objective, esp a military one

noun

something that is expendable

Derived Formsexpendability, noun

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

Word Origin and History for expendability

expendable

adj.

1805, from expend + -able.