indispensable

[in-di-spen-suh-buhl]

adjective

1. absolutely necessary, essential, or requisite.

   an indispensable member of the staff.

   Synonyms: needed

2. incapable of being disregarded or neglected.

   an indispensable obligation.

noun

1. a person or thing that is indispensable.

indispensable

/ ˌɪndɪˈspɛnsəbəl /

adjective

1. absolutely necessary; essential

2. not to be disregarded or escaped

   an indispensable role

noun

1. an indispensable person or thing

Other Word Forms

• indispensability noun
• indispensableness noun
• indispensably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of indispensable¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Medieval Latin indispēnsābilis “not subject to dispensation.” See in- ³, dispensable

Synonym Study

See necessary.

Example Sentences

Loktev didn’t set out to be a witness to history, but what she’s emerged with is an indispensable record and a rallying cry.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Daily Memo” has become the diary Los Angeles never asked for but which is now indispensable, documenting in real time one of the most terrifying chapters in the region’s history.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

These minerals are indispensable for everything from electric vehicles to defense technologies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He immediately won another championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading some to conclude that Mr. Brady had been the indispensable man.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They were served by a cosmopolitan retinue: Sri Lankan singers, Arab managers, European chefs and always Afghan workers in a multitude of indispensable roles.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• basic 
• crucial 
• essential 
• fundamental 
• imperative 
• necessary 
• vital