English Reference
noun

indispensable

n.
US /ˌɪndɪˈspɛnsəbəɫ/ UK /ˌɪndɪspˈɛnsəbəl/ in·dis·pens·able UK spelling indispensables

  1. 01 C2 Proficiency Formal

    a thing that you must have.

    a person or thing that is not dispensable; a fundamental necessity.

    Simple

    Clean water and basic medicine are the indispensables of life.

    In context

    The report lists the indispensables for economic recovery, focusing primarily on infrastructure and education reform.

    must haverequirement

They have realised they are indispensable for regional countries right now and even with Europe and the US they have identified how to engage,” said Shivam Shekhawat, at the Observer Research Foundation in Delhi.

The Guardian· 15 Aug 2026

China is also positioning itself as an indispensable player in setting global standards for open-source hardware.

The Conversation· 12 Aug 2026

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

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin la-med indispensābilis
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated