indispensable

== English == === Etymology === Borrowed from Middle French indispensable, from Medieval Latin indispensābilis, corresponding to in- +‎ dispensable. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA(key): /ˌɪndɪˈspɛnsəbəl/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /ˌɪndɪˈspensəbəl/ === Adjective === indispensable (comparative more indispensable, superlative most indispensable) Absolutely necessary or requisite; that one cannot do without. [from 17th c.] (of duties, rules etc.) Unbendable, that cannot be set aside or ignored. [from 17th c.] (ecclesiastical, obsolete) Not admitting ecclesiastical dispensation; not subject to release or exemption; that cannot be allowed by bending the canonical rules. [16th–17th c.] ==== Synonyms ==== See also Thesaurus:requisite ==== Antonyms ==== dispensable ==== Derived terms ==== indispensability indispensable nation indispensableness indispensably ==== Translations ==== === Noun === indispensable (plural indispensables) A thing that is not dispensable; a necessity. [from 17th c.] (in the plural, colloquial, dated) Trousers. [from 19th c.] == Catalan == === Etymology === From in- +‎ dispensable. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Central, Balearic) [in.dis.pənˈsab.blə] IPA(key): (Valencia) [in.dis.penˈsa.ble] Hyphenation: in‧dis‧pen‧sa‧ble === Adjective === indispensable m or f (masculine and feminine plural indispensables) indispensable Antonym: dispensable === Further reading === “indispensable”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 “indispensable” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua. == French == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɛ̃.dis.pɑ̃.sabl/ === Adjective === indispensable (plural indispensables) indispensable === Further reading === “indispensable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Spanish == === Etymology === From in- +‎ dispensable. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /indispenˈsable/ [ĩn̪.d̪is.pẽnˈsa.β̞le] Rhymes: -able Syllabification: in‧dis‧pen‧sa‧ble === Adjective === indispensable m or f (masculine and feminine plural indispensables) indispensable Synonym: imprescindible Antonym: dispensable ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “indispensable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025