financial
Americanadjective
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pertaining to monetary receipts and expenditures; pertaining or relating to money matters; pecuniary.
financial operations.
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of or relating to those commonly engaged in dealing with money and credit.
noun
adjective
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of or relating to finance or finances
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of or relating to persons who manage money, capital, or credit
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informal having money; in funds
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(of a club member) fully paid-up
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing financial
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Michelle Obama's final address as First Lady (2017)
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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.
Molina’s responsibilities in the nonprofit included co-signing checks, keeping records of receipts and expenditures, making disbursements approved by the board, receiving dues and providing financial statements to the board, according to the indictment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
Polymarket named Warren Jenson as its first chief financial officer, as the prediction-markets company looks to grow in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
In Quito on Wednesday, Rubio announced that Los Tiguerones, one of Ecuador's most powerful criminal gangs, would be designated a terrorist organization by Washington, cutting it off from the US financial system.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Furthermore, Al-Hussainy said the Treasury and Fed likely will be more concerned about the potential for bond-market tumult to unleash financial stability concerns.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
It was a stroke of luck that his special interest was financial markets and not, say, collecting lawn mower catalogues.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
