Expendable vs Consumptive - What's the difference?
expendable | consumptive |
Able to be expended; not inexhaustible.
Designed for a single use; not reusable.
Not essential or mandatory in order to achieve a goal.
That which is regarded as not worth preserving or saving; able to be sacrificed.
An expendable person or object; usually used in the plural.
Having a tendency to consume; dissipating; destructive; wasteful.
* Addison
Of, or relating to consumption.
(pathology) Relating to pulmonary tuberculosis.
* Dryden
As adjectives the difference between expendable and consumptive
is that expendable is able to be expended; not inexhaustible while consumptive is having a tendency to consume; dissipating; destructive; wasteful.As nouns the difference between expendable and consumptive
is that expendable is an expendable person or object; usually used in the plural while consumptive is a person suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis.expendable
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- Oil and other expendable resources are frequently the subject of military disputes.
- The anti-aircraft rocket is fired from an expendable launch platform.
- The research department was deemed expendable , and its funding was not renewed.
- 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, worthlessNoun
(en noun)- Private Johnson was afraid the Lieutenant considered him an expendable , since he was always picked as point man.
Derived terms
* expendability * expendablyconsumptive
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- a long consumptive war
- consumptive cough
- The lean, consumptive wench, with coughs decayed.