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marginal utility

American  

noun

Economics.
  1. 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.

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

From The Verge • Mar. 2, 2021

It is to find the highest marginal utility of money.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2015

Because of diminishing marginal utility, people typically prefer a smooth path of consumption to one that jumps around.

From New York Times • Jun. 21, 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

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