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

• gratuitous
• inessential
• needless
• nonessential
• uncalled-for
• unessential
• unnecessary
• unwarranted

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

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

But last night’s halftime show painted Drake as a dispensable henchman and America as the ultimate adversary. —Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2025

Veteran players like Anderson, Buddy Hield and Payton — ahead of both youngsters in the pecking order initially — could become more dispensable if Post and Santos carve out true roles. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025

Two of the year’s most read AI articles dealt with chatbots’ coding abilities, while another looked at the best way to prompt chatbots and image generators (and found that humans are dispensable). —IEEE Spectrum, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dispensable

adjective

dis·​pens·​able dis-ˈpen(t)-sə-bəl 

: not necessary : nonessential

dispensability

-ˌpen(t)-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun