indispensable

CEFRC1

/ˌɪndɪˈspɛnsəbəl/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
adjective
Absolutely necessary or too important to be without.
02
adjective
Extra detail
Not admitting ecclesiastical dispensation; not subject to release or exemption; that cannot be allowed by bending the canonical rules.

Examples

Both air and water are indispensable for life.
Air is indispensable to life.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 5
Parts of speech: 2
Citations: 5

Also pronounced

/ˌɪndɪˈspensəbəl/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

Unbendable, that cannot be set aside or ignored.
Absolutely necessary or requisite; that one cannot do without.

noun

Extra meaning

A thing that is not dispensable; a necessity.

More examples

In context

An indispensable component of a heart-healthy diet.
Why is marking a book indispensable to reading it? First, it keeps you awake—not merely conscious, but wide awake.
The law was moral and indispensable.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

In the hospital, a heart monitor is blank for tracking a patient's heartbeat.

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Nearby

Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

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, […]

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Origin

adjective

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

Deep Dive

adjective

noun

More examples

Related

Quick test

In the hospital, a heart monitor is blank— for tracking a patient's heartbeat.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

In the hospital, a heart monitor is blank for tracking a patient's heartbeat.