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Expansive vs Expendable - What's the difference?

expansive | expendable |

As adjectives the difference between expansive and expendable

is that expansive is able to be expanded while expendable is able to be expended; not inexhaustible.

As a noun expendable is

an expendable person or object; usually used in the plural.

expansive

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Able to be expanded.
  • Comprehensive in scope or extent.
    • An expansive research work.
  • Talkative and sociable.
  • (mathematics) Exhibiting expansivity.

    • expendable

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Able to be expended; not inexhaustible.
    • Oil and other expendable resources are frequently the subject of military disputes.
  • Designed for a single use; not reusable.
    • The anti-aircraft rocket is fired from an expendable launch platform.
  • Not essential or mandatory in order to achieve a goal.
    • The research department was deemed expendable , and its funding was not renewed.
  • That which is regarded as not worth preserving or saving; able to be sacrificed.
    • In the internecine rivalries of large corporations, whole departments may become expendable in the execution of one executive's power play.

    Synonyms

    * (not inexhaustible ): exhaustible, finite, limited * (not reusable ): dispensable, disposable, throwaway * (not essential or mandatory ): adjunct, dispensable, redundant, superfluous * (not worth saving or preserving ): collateral, inconsiderable, sacrificable, worthless

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An expendable person or object; usually used in the plural.
    • Private Johnson was afraid the Lieutenant considered him an expendable , since he was always picked as point man.

    Derived terms

    * expendability * expendably