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.
“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
But the reality was the opposite: Her whole persona was about being indispensable to others.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
He said the US was an "indispensable cornerstone" of the UK's security, and that allies should "show up" regardless of who the current president is.
From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026
"We hope this indispensable channel of communication can be reestablished as soon as possible," he added.
From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026
Those cases, initially so puzzling to us moderns accustomed to viewing writing as indispensable to a complex society, included one of the world’s largest empires as of A.D.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
