Wiktionary

indispensable

English

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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indispensable (comparative more indispensable, superlative most indispensable)

  1. (ecclesiastical, obsolete) Not admitting ecclesiastical dispensation; not subject to release or exemption; that cannot be allowed by bending the canonical rules. [16th–17th c.]
  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. 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[1]:
      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.
    • 7 July 2022, Boris Johnson, resignation speech‎[2]:
      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.

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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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.]

Catalan

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Etymology

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From in- ‎ dispensable.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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indispensable m or f (masculine and feminine plural indispensables)

  1. indispensable
    Antonym: dispensable

Further reading

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French

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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indispensable (plural indispensables)

  1. indispensable

Further reading

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Spanish

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Etymology

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From in- ‎ dispensable.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

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indispensable m or f (masculine and feminine plural indispensables)

  1. indispensable
    Synonym: imprescindible
    Antonym: dispensable

Derived terms

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Further reading

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