economic
Americanadjective
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pertaining to the production, distribution, and use of income, wealth, and commodities.
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of or relating to the science of economics.
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pertaining to an economy, or system of organization or operation, especially of the process of production.
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involving or pertaining to one's personal resources of money.
to give up a large house for economic reasons.
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pertaining to use as a resource in the economy.
economic entomology; economic botany.
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affecting or apt to affect the welfare of material resources.
weevils and other economic pests.
adjective
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of or relating to an economy, economics, or finance
economic development
economic theories
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capable of being produced, operated, etc, for profit; profitable
the firm is barely economic
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concerning or affecting material resources or welfare
economic pests
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concerned with or relating to the necessities of life; utilitarian
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a variant of economical
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informal inexpensive; cheap
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of economic
First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French economique, from Latin oeconomicus, from Greek oikonomikós “relating to household management,” equivalent to oikonóm(os) “steward” (from oîko(s) “house” + nómos “manager”) + -ikos -ic
Explanation
If you describe something as economic, then it relates to the economy. And the economy? It's all about money, honey. The adjective economic, meaning “pertaining to management of a household,” first developed in the 1590’s and might remind you of "Home Economics" classes where you once learned to cook and sew. Usually though, we use economic to describe things relating to finance. It’s not the same as financial, but if you’re talking about a town or country whose finances are in dire straits, it’s ok to say "economic ruin."
Vocabulary lists containing economic
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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Herbert Hoover on "Rugged Individualism" (1928)
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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.
Despite rapid economic growth, millions of people in the world's most populous nation struggle to find stable and well-paying jobs, fuelling discontent.
From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026
When a family spends $300 at a game, that’s $300 they don’t spend at a local restaurant or bowling alley; there’s no new economic activity, just what we economists call “substitution.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
So says the International Monetary Fund in its latest economic forecast.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026
Canada is facing some economic doldrums, Tostenson said, but "you learn that if you give people a real reason to spend their money and give them value, they'll spend it".
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026
Prisons would have to be closed across America, an event that would likely inspire panic in rural communities that have become dependent on prisons for jobs and economic growth.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
