Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective

indispensable

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Remove ads

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French indispensable, from Medieval Latin indispensābilis, corresponding to in- +‎ dispensable.

Pronunciation

Adjective

indispensable (comparative more indispensable, superlative most indispensable)

  1. Absolutely necessary or requisite; that one cannot do without. [from 17th c.]
    An indispensable component of a heart-healthy diet.
    • 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 2, in Internal Combustion‎:
      But through the oligopoly, charcoal fuel proliferated throughout London's trades and industries. By the 1200s, brewers and bakers, tilemakers, glassblowers, pottery producers, and a range of other craftsmen all became hour-to-hour consumers of charcoal. This only magnified the indispensable nature of the oligopolists.
    • 2022 July 7, Boris Johnson, resignation speech‎:
      And my friends in politics, no-one is remotely indispensable and our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader, equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times.
    • 2025 May 11, Nadeen Ebrahim and Abbas Al Lawati, “Trump is visiting three of the world’s richest nations. Here’s what’s on their wish list”, in CNN‎:
      Behind this carefully crafted strategy of wooing Trump is a desire from Gulf states to solidify and formalize their positions as the US’ indispensable security and economic partners, and extract as much benefit for themselves as they can.
  2. (of duties, rules etc.) Unbendable, that cannot be set aside or ignored. [from 17th c.]
    • 1679–1715, Gilbert Burnet, “(please specify the page)”, in The History of the Reformation of the Church of England., London: […] T[homas] H[odgkin] for Richard Chiswell, […]:
      The law was moral and indispensable.
  3. (ecclesiastical, obsolete) Not admitting ecclesiastical dispensation; not subject to release or exemption; that cannot be allowed by bending the canonical rules. [16th–17th c.]

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

indispensable (plural indispensables)

  1. A thing that is not dispensable; a necessity. [from 17th c.]
  2. (in the plural, colloquial, dated) Trousers. [from 19th c.]
Remove ads

Catalan

Etymology

From in- +‎ dispensable.

Pronunciation

Adjective

indispensable m or f (masculine and feminine plural indispensables)

  1. indispensable
    Antonym: dispensable

Further reading

Remove ads

French

Pronunciation

Adjective

indispensable (plural indispensables)

  1. indispensable

Further reading

Spanish

Etymology

From in- +‎ dispensable.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /indispenˈsable/ [ĩn̪.d̪is.pẽnˈsa.β̞le]
  • Rhymes: -able
  • Syllabification: in‧dis‧pen‧sa‧ble

Adjective

indispensable m or f (masculine and feminine plural indispensables)

  1. indispensable
    Synonym: imprescindible
    Antonym: dispensable

Derived terms

Further reading

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads
Remove ads