economics

[ek-uh-nom-iks, ee-kuh-]

noun

1. (used with a singular verb),  the science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, or the material welfare of humankind.

2. (used with a plural verb),  financial considerations; economically significant aspects.

   What are the economics of such a project?

economics

/ ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪks, ˌɛkə- /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the social science concerned with the production and consumption of goods and services and the analysis of the commercial activities of a society See also macroeconomics microeconomics

2. (functioning as plural) financial aspects

   the economics of the project are very doubtful

economics

1. The science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of commodities.

Economics is sometimes referred to as the “dismal science.”

Economics is generally understood to concern behavior that, given the scarcity of means, arises to achieve certain ends. When scarcity ceases, conventional economic theory may no longer be applicable. (See affluent society.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of economics¹

First recorded in 1785–95; economic, -ics

Example Sentences

This should lead to, among other thing, higher after-tax earnings for sole proprietors and small firms; stronger loan demand for community banks; and better exit economics for early stage investors, SocGen reckons.

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Experts in healthcare economics say rural hospitals like Glenn Medical generally have fewer patients than suburban and urban communities, and those patients tend to be older and sicker, meaning they are more expensive to treat.

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Teresa Ghilarducci, a professor of economics and policy analysis at the New School in New York City and an expert on retirement, refers to this phenomenon as “the tale of two retirements.”

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A Wellesley College junior, majoring in economics as well as “peace and justice studies,” complained to the Journal about narrow job opportunities.

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But, as financial and economics writer Morgan Harman notes in a succinct essay, the benefits of feeding the hungry go far beyond the obvious immediate economic ones:

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Related Words

• business 
• finance 
• social science