indispensability

English

Noun

indispensability (countable and uncountable, plural indispensabilities)

1. The characteristic of being indispensable.
   • 1869, Charles Dickens, chapter 11, in The Uncommercial Traveller:

     In thinly-peopled spots, I have known brick-layers on tramp, coming up with bricklayers at work, to be so sensible of the indispensability of lookers-on, that they themselves have sat up in that capacity, and have been unable to subside into the acceptance of a proffered share in the job, for two or three days together.

   Synonym: indispensableness

2. Something indispensable.
   • 2016, Kubo and the Two Strings (movie)

     Beetle: Yes, I am certain I can be helpful. Indispensable!

     Monkey: In what way?

     [Beetle displays his ability with bow and arrow, firing multiple arrows on the same spot]

     […]

     Beetle: Just tell me of our quest, and I will immediately demonstrate my numerous indispensabilities.

Derived terms

• Quine-Putnam indispensability argument

Translations

the characteristic of being indispensable

• Catalan: indispensabilitat f
• Danish: uundværlighed c
• Estonian: asendamatus
• French: indispensabilité (fr) f
• German: Unentbehrlichkeit (de) f, Unverzichtbarkeit f
• Hungarian: nélkülözhetetlenség (hu)
• Italian: indispensabilità f
• Polish: nieodzowność (pl) f
• Romanian: indispensabilitate (ro) f
• Spanish: indispensabilidad f
• Swedish: oumbärlighet (sv) c, oundgänglighet (sv) c