indispensable
Americanadjective
-
absolutely necessary, essential, or requisite.
an indispensable member of the staff.
- Synonyms:
- needed
-
incapable of being disregarded or neglected.
an indispensable obligation.
noun
adjective
-
absolutely necessary; essential
-
not to be disregarded or escaped
an indispensable role
noun
Related Words
See necessary.
Other Word Forms
- indispensability noun
- indispensableness noun
- indispensably adverb
Etymology
Origin of indispensable
First recorded in 1525–35; from Medieval Latin indispēnsābilis “not subject to dispensation.” See in- 3, dispensable
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.
The cupboard is bare, underscoring just how indispensable Kane is.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Jane Harman, the decision allowed Davis to remain competitive and eventually pay for the statewide ad blitz that is indispensable in California.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
“While GPUs handle the heavy mathematical lifting for AI, modern high-core-count CPUs are becoming indispensable for orchestration, data-management, and real-time inference tasks that GPUs cannot perform efficiently,” Lee wrote.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
"We are still struggling to replace the king that is oil," said Perrin, recalling its indispensable role in transportation and petrochemicals.
From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026
Teller’s intellect was indispensable at Los Alamos, but his presence was intolerable.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
