definitions

devaluation

[ dee-val-yoo-ey-shuh n ]
/ diˌvæl yuˈeɪ ʃən /
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noun

an official lowering of the exchange value of a country's currency relative to gold or other currencies.
a reduction of a value, status, etc.

RELATED WORDS

decline, reduction, decrease, write-down, markdown

Nearby words

deux-sèvres, dev, dev., deva, devaluate, devaluation, devaluationist, devalue, devanagari, devascularization, devastate

Origin of devaluation

First recorded in 1910–15; devaluate + -ion
Related formsmin·i·de·val·u·a·tion, nounpost·de·val·u·a·tion, adjectivepre·de·val·u·a·tion, noun, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for devaluation

British Dictionary definitions for devaluation

devaluation

/ (diːˌvæljuːˈeɪʃən) /

noun

a decrease in the exchange value of a currency against gold or other currencies, brought about by a governmentCompare depreciation (def. 4)
a reduction in value, status, importance, etc
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for devaluation

devaluation

n.

1898; see de- + valuation. Specific application to currency is from 1914.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Culture definitions for devaluation

devaluation

A policy undertaken by a nation to reduce the value of its national currency either in relation to gold or in relation to the currencies of other nations.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.