adjective
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of or relating to money or currency
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of or relating to monetarism
a monetary policy
Synonym Usage
See financial.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of monetary
First recorded in 1660–70; from Late Latin monētārius “pertaining to the mint”; see money, -ary
Explanation
If it has to do with money or currency, it’s monetary, like your childhood toy collection that has no monetary value, but you love it nonetheless. The adjective monetary is related to a Latin word that means “mint,” which is not just a refreshing gum or ice cream flavor but, in this case, where money is made. Anything that pertains to money can be described as monetary, like a country whose monetary system consists of metal coins of different denominations or an antiques expert who can tell you the monetary value of the old things in our attic.
Vocabulary lists containing monetary
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "M"
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Geography and World Regions
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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.
The forces driving prices higher—the AI investment boom, for example, or soaring fuel costs thanks to snarled supply chains in the Middle East—are likely to persist even if monetary policymakers raise interest rates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
As the effects of monetary policy grow stronger, the S&P 500’s P/E multiple could contract further.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
After repeated currency crises and a long stretch of unorthodox monetary policy earlier this decade, foreign investors pulled back from the market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Goolsbee says he’s watching both the details and the overall rate of inflation to guide monetary policy.
From Barron's
The economy now can be thought of as an entity which responds to actions by central banks; we call that monetary policy.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
