insolvency
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of insolvency
First recorded in 1650–60; insolv(ent) + -ency
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How does insolvency compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Insolvency is when someone is completely out of money. A company's insolvency means that it isn't able to pay its workers and may have to go out of business. A family's insolvency is a frightening thing — it might result in the loss of their home, for example, since they can't afford to pay their bills. The noun insolvency is more often used to describe the financial troubles of a business or other organization. If your tennis club faces insolvency, it may need to seek help from investors or close altogether. The adjective insolvent means "unable to pay one's debts," combining the roots in, "not," and solventem, "paying."
Vocabulary lists containing insolvency
Jane Eyre
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The Princess Bride
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Vocabulary from the Twelfth Republican Debate, March 10, 2016
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But it had been beset by corruption allegations and was on the brink of insolvency.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Congress has yet to seriously discuss solutions to the program’s financing issues, but as Social Security lurches toward insolvency in the coming years, legislators may be forced to start deliberations soon.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
The government says, external the GLA has told the building's administrators that the GLA may be owed money as part of the insolvency process.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Supporters say workers’ compensation changes, including restricted eligibility for some benefits, have rescued the systems from their insolvency crisis of the 1990s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
“Impossible!—when I told you how she, on the contrary, deserted me: the idea of my insolvency cooled, or rather extinguished, her flame in a moment.”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
