Meaning
- Expendable means able to be used up, sacrificed, or replaced without much loss or importance.
It describes something (or sometimes someone) that can be given up or disposed of if necessary.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: Adjective
- Meaning pattern: expendable + noun
- Often used for things (resources, materials, workers, equipment) that can be sacrificed or replaced.
- Also used metaphorically for people regarded as less important in a group or mission.
Examples of sentence structures:
- “X is expendable.”
- “The company treats temporary workers as expendable.”
- “We can use these supplies—they’re expendable.”
Common Phrases
- expendable resource – something that can be used up, like paper, batteries, or fuel.
- expendable item – a replaceable or disposable object.
- expendable employee/soldier – someone seen as nonessential or replaceable.
- non-expendable – the opposite; something too valuable to lose.
Collocations
- expendable resources
- expendable goods
- expendable materials
- expendable personnel
- expendable income
Examples
- The general considered some of his troops expendable in the mission.
- Many companies treat interns as expendable labor.
- These are expendable supplies—we can always buy more.
- In the movie, the spy’s partner was seen as expendable.
- Artists often feel that creativity is not an expendable trait.
- We should not view human lives as expendable resources.
- Paper towels are expendable items used daily.
- The old machine was deemed expendable after the upgrade.
Synonyms or Related
- replaceable
- disposable
- unnecessary
- nonessential
- secondary
Antonym
- indispensable
- irreplaceable
- essential
- vital