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disposability

disposability

5.2
Being made to be used once and then thrown away
  • noun
  • /dɪsˈpoʊzəˌbɪlɪti/
translation icon : desechabilidad
  • Many fast food companies rely on the disposability of their packaging to serve customers quickly.

Examples

  • In today's world, the disposability of plastic products has raised serious environmental concerns.

  • We live in a culture of disposability (see: Twitter), and I hate to think that Apple is seen as a marker of great design when their products are becoming flimsier than ever.

    Blog text (1)
  • The disposability of cheap electronics means they are often discarded after only a few months of use.

Antonyms

22 3.8

The ability of something to last a long time without getting damaged

How Disposable

disposability
5.2
reusability
1 4.3
durability
22 3.8
permanence
15 5.5

Surface Forms

disposability singular

Morphology

disposability = disposable (transparent) = dispose + able + ity

Formed from the adjective 'disposable' + the noun-forming suffix '-ity', so the meaning follows directly from 'dispose' -> 'disposable' -> 'disposability'.

Etymology

Disposability comes from the verb dispose, which means 'to put away' or 'get rid of'; the prefix dis- means 'away' and the root pose (as in position) means 'put'. So disposability is the quality of something that can easily be put away or thrown away, which fits single-use items.