illiquid

American

[ih-lik-wid] / ɪˈlɪk wɪd /

adjective

not readily convertible into cash; not liquid.

illiquid British

/ ɪˈlɪkwɪd /

adjective

(of an asset) not easily convertible into cash
(of an enterprise, organization, etc) deficient in liquid assets

"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

Other Word Forms

illiquidity noun
illiquidly adverb

Etymology

Origin of illiquid

First recorded in 1685–95; il- ² + liquid

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.

Shares are often illiquid, and trading may be restricted altogether.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

Valuing privately held businesses and illiquid assets on an annual basis is notoriously difficult.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

Traditional banks, for instance, fund long-term, illiquid assets with short-term, runnable liabilities.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

Unlike publicly traded stocks, these investments are illiquid, meaning they can’t be sold at will and they can’t be reliably priced.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

By design they were arcane, opaque, illiquid, and thus conveniently difficult for anyone but Morgan Stanley to price.

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