Indispensable — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

not to be dispensed with; essential

absolutely necessary; vitally necessary

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ˌɪndɪspˈɛnsəbəl/

🇬🇧British English

/ˌɪndɪspˈɛnsəbəl/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ˌɪndɪspˈɛnsəbəl/

4 syllables Say it as /ˌɪndɪspˈɛnsəbəl/.

Examples

foods indispensable to good nutrition
essential tools and materials
funds essential to the completion of the project

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

essential

Antonyms

dispensable

Parts of Speech

adjective	not to be dispensed with; essential “foods indispensable to good nutrition”
adjective	absolutely necessary; vitally necessary “essential tools and materials”
adjective	unavoidable “the routine but indispensable ceremonies of state”

Word Forms

indispensableness	noun	the quality possessed by something that you cannot possibly do without
indispensability	noun	the quality possessed by something that you cannot possibly do without
essential	noun	anything indispensable
essentialness	noun	basic importance

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

unverzichtbar

nicht entbehrlich sein; essentiell

🇮🇹Italian

indispensabile

di cui non fare a meno; essenziale

🇳🇱Dutch

onmisbaar

niet achterwege te laten; essentieel

🇵🇹Portuguese

indispensável

não deve ser dispensado; essencial

🇷🇺Russian

незаменимый

без него нельзя обойтись; существенный

India

🇮🇳Hindi

अपरिहार्य

त्यागा नहीं जाना चाहिए; आवश्यक

🇧🇩Bengali

অপরিহার্য

সঙ্গে বিতরণ করা হবে না; অপরিহার্য

🇮🇳Tamil

இன்றியமையாதது

வழங்கக் கூடாது; அத்தியாவசியமான

🇮🇳Telugu

అనివార్యమైన

పంపిణీ చేయకూడదు; అవసరమైన

🇮🇳Marathi

अपरिहार्य

वितरीत केले जाऊ नये; आवश्यक

🇮🇳Gujarati

અનિવાર્ય

સાથે વિતરિત કરી શકાતી નથી; આવશ્યક

🇮🇳Kannada

ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯ

ವಿನಿಯೋಗಿಸಬಾರದು; ಅತ್ಯಗತ್ಯ

🇮🇳Malayalam

ഒഴിച്ചുകൂടാനാവാത്ത

വിതരണം ചെയ്യാൻ പാടില്ല; അത്യാവശ്യമാണ്

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਲਾਜ਼ਮੀ

ਨਾਲ ਵੰਡਿਆ ਨਹੀਂ ਜਾਣਾ; ਜ਼ਰੂਰੀ

🇵🇰Urdu

ناگزیر

کے ساتھ تقسیم نہیں کیا جائے؛ ضروری

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

必不可少

不可省略；基本的

🇯🇵Japanese

不可欠な

なくしてはなりません。不可欠

🇰🇷Korean

없어서는 안될

생략할 수 없음; 필수적인

🇻🇳Vietnamese

không thể thiếu

không được bỏ qua; thiết yếu

🇹🇭Thai

ที่ขาดไม่ได้

ไม่ควรจ่าย; จำเป็น

🇮🇩Indonesian

sangat diperlukan

tidak untuk ditiadakan; penting

🇵🇭Filipino

kailangang-kailangan

hindi dapat pabayaan; mahalaga

🇲🇾Malay

amat diperlukan

tidak boleh diketepikan; penting

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

لا غنى عنه

ولا يمكن الاستغناء عنه؛ ضروري

🇮🇷Persian

ضروری

نادیده گرفته نمی شود؛ ضروری است

🇹🇷Turkish

vazgeçilmez

vazgeçilmemesi gereken; gerekli

🇮🇱Hebrew

חִיוּנִי

אין לוותר עליו; חִיוּנִי

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'indispensable'?

The primary meaning of 'indispensable' is 'not to be dispensed with; essential'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'indispensable' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'indispensable' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'indispensable' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'indispensable' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'indispensable' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'indispensable' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'indispensable' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'indispensable' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'indispensable' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'indispensable' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted