Expendable Meaning
/ɪkˈspɛndəbəl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjAble to be expended; not inexhaustible.
adjDesigned for a single use; not reusable.
Sentence Examples
No one is expendable.
Mercenary forces are expendable.
In this dangerous mission, no member of the team is expendable.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The mission considered the old equipment as ____ and not worth repairing.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In the brutal logic of the war movie, the common soldiers were seen as ____ assets.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English expend Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English expendable From expend + -able.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"He was expendable, like commodities past their use."
— 1997, G. Cajetan Luna, Youths Living with HIV: Self-Evident Truths, page 10:
"The Taunton-Minehead line (now managed by the West Somerset Railway) was considered much more expendable."
— 2020 April 8, Howard Johnston, “East-ended? When the ECML was at risk”, in Rail, page 69:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The mission considered the old equipment as ____ and not worth repairing.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In the brutal logic of the war movie, the common soldiers were seen as ____ assets.