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Synonyms

financial

American  
[fi-nan-shuhl, fahy-] / fɪˈnæn ʃəl, faɪ- /

adjective

  1. An image of the word financial as defined by pertaining to monetary receipts and expenditures; pertaining or relating to money matters; pecuniary.

    pertaining to monetary receipts and expenditures; pertaining or relating to money matters; pecuniary.

    financial operations.

  2. of or relating to those commonly engaged in dealing with money and credit.


noun

  1. financials, financial information or data about a company, as balance sheets and price-earnings ratio.

financial British  
/ fɪˈnænʃəl, faɪ- /

adjective

  1. of or relating to finance or finances

  2. of or relating to persons who manage money, capital, or credit

  3. informal having money; in funds

  4. (of a club member) fully paid-up

"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

Synonym Usage

Financial, fiscal, monetary, pecuniary refer to matters concerned with money. Financial usually refers to money matters or transactions of some size or importance: a financial wizard. Fiscal is used especially in connection with government funds, or those of any organization: the end of the fiscal year. Monetary relates especially to money as such: a monetary system or standard. Pecuniary refers to money as used in making ordinary payments: a pecuniary obligation or reward.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of financial

First recorded in 1760–70; finance + -ial

Explanation

If you are short on cash, you might say you have a financial problem. Talking about finances is a polite and formal way to refer to money. The similarity between the words financial and finish is no accident. Both come from the Old French word fine, which was generally used to mean "end" or "finish" and more specifically to mean "end a debt." If you pay a fine, you end the debt you owe society for, say, spitting your gum on the sidewalk, or failing to clean up after your dog.

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Vocabulary lists containing financial

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.

See Examples For:

Other measures of financial conditions, like the ICE BofA U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 4, 2026

Data centre developers are particularly attracted to London because of the capital's dense concentration of businesses, financial services and internet connections.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

In her time, and in her opinion, a sensible woman’s paths to financial freedom were limited to hoping for a windfall or making one’s fortune off others’ backs as a madam.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

He cited risk models for the financial industry that have been developed in conjunction with the Federal Reserve and Securities and Exchange Commission.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

As the subprime mortgage market grew, every financial company was, one way or another, exposed to it.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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