Indispensable Meaning
/ˌɪndɪˈspɛnsəbəl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjAbsolutely necessary or requisite; that one cannot do without.
adjUnbendable, that cannot be set aside or ignored.
Sentence Examples
Air is indispensable to life.
Both air and water are indispensable for life.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
In the hospital, a heart monitor is ____ for tracking a patient's heartbeat.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Air and clean water are ____ for all forms of life to exist on our planet.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Middle French indispensable, from Medieval Latin indispensābilis, corresponding to in- + dispensable.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 2, in Internal Combustion:
"In this paper, I have chosen Khotan, a small oasis-state on the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, as the subject for the investigation of this question. The waters of two rivers, the Yurungkash or Baiyu he 白玉河 (White Jade River) and the Karakash or Heiyu he 黑玉河 (Black Jade River), were indispensable for establishing human culture in Khotan."
— 2021, Imre Hamar, “Khotan and the Buddhāvataṃsaka-sūtra”, in Takami Inoue, Imre Hamar, editors, The Buddha’s Words and Their Interpretations, Shin Buddhist Comprehensive Research Institute, →ISBN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 Oct 2021, page 130:
"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."
— 2022 July 7, Boris Johnson, resignation speech:
"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."
— 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:
"The law was moral and indispensable."
— 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, […]:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
In the hospital, a heart monitor is ____ for tracking a patient's heartbeat.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Air and clean water are ____ for all forms of life to exist on our planet.