dispensable

adjective

dis·​pens·​able di-ˈspen(t)-sə-bəl 

: capable of being dispensed with

dispensability

di-ˌspen(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

Synonyms of dispensable

• unnecessary

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

The 23-year-old has the kind of athleticism Green has not possessed in a decade, but that does not mean Green’s skillset is dispensable. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 29 June 2026

Ornaments are no more dispensable than foundations. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Apr. 2026

But something important gets lost when executives look at that reality and conclude that management itself is dispensable. — Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2026

Many people are trying to protect themselves from becoming dispensable as the role of AI expands in the workplace, said Erik Brynjolfsson, an economics professor at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. — Annie Nova, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin dispensābilis "susceptible of dispensation," from Latin dispensāre "to pay out, dispense" + -bilis "capable (of acting) or worthy of (being acted upon)" — more at -able

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dispensable

• sensible
• compensable
• condensable
• defensible
• extensible
• insensible
• ostensible
• comprehensible
• indefensible
• indispensable
• reprehensible
• supersensible

Kids Definition

dispensable

adjective

dis·​pens·​able dis-ˈpen(t)-sə-bəl 

: not necessary : nonessential

dispensability

-ˌpen(t)-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun