dispensable

adjective

dis·​pens·​able di-ˈspen(t)-sə-bəl How to pronounce dispensable (audio)
: capable of being dispensed with
dispensability noun

Examples of dispensable in a Sentence

Computers have made typewriters dispensable. Do you consider any of the staff to be dispensable?
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And the hierarchy must consider who else is dispensable and at what price. Henry Flynn, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025 To become a machine, after all, is to become usable and, perhaps, dispensable. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 14 May 2025 Everything else, whether AI or organizers or schedulers, is really just a cheat code—nice to have but dispensable. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025 To the Soviet state, the lives and the health of the local population in these remote areas were dispensable. Franziska Exeler, The Dial, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dispensable

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dispensable was in 1649

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dispensable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dispensable. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

dispensable

adjective
dis·​pens·​able dis-ˈpen(t)-sə-bəl How to pronounce dispensable (audio)
: not necessary : nonessential
dispensability noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dispensable

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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