marginal utility

American

noun

Economics.

the extra utility or satisfaction derived by a consumer from the consumption of the last unit of a commodity.

Etymology

Origin of marginal utility

First recorded in 1920–25

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:

marginal utility

And it has a marginal utility curve that only helps you so much.

From The Verge ● Mar. 2, 2021

In a March 26 View From Chicago, Eric Posner misstated that the utilitarian imperative is to find the lowest marginal utility of money.

From Slate ● Apr. 3, 2015

So, he decided that the marginal utility of each hour he spent partaking of the university's sports menu, at least time management wise, did not help close this gaping gap.

From New York Times ● Dec. 12, 2014

But, wow, does that marginal utility of an extra gallon skyrocket during a shortage. Water’s price trajectory quickly tops that of chainsaw after a hurricane.

From Forbes ● Jan. 18, 2014

We’d get back to our study of marginal utility another day.

From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023