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 Some see this as a step toward eventually allowing interstate commerce, which would lead to consolidation across the industry and make border dispensaries dispensable. Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Jan. 2024 The people who make research possible have often been treated as dispensable, resulting in a hierarchal culture rife with victim blaming. Elizabeth Endicott, Scientific American, 19 Dec. 2023 Our loved ones are dying in unsafe nursing homes, our nurses are overwhelmed and unprotected, and our essential workers are treated as dispensable. Mike Ives, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2023 In March, the Food and Drug Administration granted approval for a 4-milligram dose of naloxone to be dispensable over the counter without a prescription due in part to the rising rate of opioid overdoses nationwide. Gabrielle M. Etzel, Washington Examiner, 13 July 2023 Usually, top management takes the view that middle managers are the most dispensable when times get shaky. Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 June 2023 The question about whether humans and their creativity are dispensable is one that reverberates across other sectors of society. Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 May 2023 Detroit’s signings of cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley made Okudah dispensable for the Lions. Safid Deen, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2023 Amid the current, quite serious concerns about the federal deficit, reaching toward the stars seems a dispensable luxury—as if saving one-tenth of 1 percent of a single year’s budget would solve our problems. Corey S Powell, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2011

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dispensable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dispensable was in 1649

Dictionary Entries Near dispensable

Cite this Entry

“Dispensable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dispensable. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!