Expendable

/ɪkˈspɛndəbl/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A person or thing that is considered to be of little or no value.

In the harsh realities of war, some soldiers are seen as expendables.

adjective

Designed to be used only once or until no longer useful; not worth saving.

The company supplied expendable materials for the project to reduce costs.

Not essential; able to be sacrificed or replaced.

In the heat of battle, many soldiers viewed their positions as expendable.

Latin 'expendere', meaning to weigh out or spend.

expendable income

Income that can be spent on non-essential items.

expendable resources

Resources that are used up without concern for conservation.

expendable personnel

Staff viewed as non-essential and easily replaceable.

disposable

Intended for one-time use and then discarded.

volunteer

A person who offers their services for free, often considered expendable.

Used to refer to someone who is easily replaced or not valuable.

He's just a cog in the machine, totally expendable.

Refers to an item that is cheap and can be thrown away after use.

These party supplies are expendable, just grab what we need and toss them later.