expendable
UK: ɪkˈspɛndəb(ə)l | US: ɪkˈspɛndəb(ə)l
adj. 1. Designed to be used and then discarded or replaced.
adj. 2. (of a person or resource) Considered dispensable or unimportant.
The word "expendable" originates from the Latin expendere ("to weigh out, pay out"), combining ex- ("out") + pendere ("to weigh"). The suffix -able (from Latin -abilis) denotes capability. Historically, it referred to resources meant to be consumed (e.g., money, supplies). By the 19th century, it extended to people or objects deemed replaceable, particularly in military contexts.
The mission used expendable drones to minimize risk to pilots.
Disposable cutlery is expendable and harms the environment.
In wartime, soldiers were often tragically viewed as expendable.
The budget covers expendable items like office supplies.
Her role was deemed expendable during company downsizing.