expendable

views updated

ex·pend·a·ble / ikˈspendəbəl/ • adj. (of an object) designed to be used only once and then abandoned or destroyed: the need for unmanned and expendable launch vehicles. ∎  of little significance when compared to an overall purpose, and therefore able to be abandoned: the region is expendable in the wider context of national politics.DERIVATIVES: ex·pend·a·bil·i·ty / ikˌspendəˈbilitē/ n.ex·pend·a·bly / -əblē/ adv.