pecuniary
Americanadjective
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of or relating to money.
pecuniary difficulties.
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consisting of or given or exacted in money or monetary payments.
pecuniary tributes.
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(of a crime, violation, etc.) involving a money penalty or fine.
adjective
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consisting of or relating to money
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law (of an offence) involving a monetary penalty
Synonym Usage
See financial.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of pecuniary
First recorded in 1500–10; from Latin pecūniārius, derivative of pecūnia “property, money (wealth in cattle),” derivative of pecū “flock”; see peculiar, fief ( def. )
Explanation
If something has to do with money, it's pecuniary. If your grandfather's antique watch has pecuniary value, it's worth money — you could sell it for cash if you weren't sentimentally attached to keeping it. Pecuniary might seem like a peculiar word for talking about money, but it all adds up when you learn that it was the worth of the cattle, or pecū in Latin, that gave pecuniary its meaning. In Roman times, livestock served as money in making transactions. Some cultures still have economies based on cattle, but most modern societies have a pecuniary system based on, well, money.
Vocabulary lists containing pecuniary
100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know
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Grade 11, List 6
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Walden
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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.
Under federal securities statutes, the SEC can seek civil penalties tied to the “gross amount of pecuniary gain” resulting from a violation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
"ASIC is seeking declarations, pecuniary penalties, and adverse publicity orders against Westpac from the Court."
From Reuters • Sep. 4, 2023
Prosecutors argue that Tate’s applying for the job, and negotiating terms of his employment agreement, “acted on behalf of his own pecuniary interest.”
From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 2023
Ms Alemi denies 13 counts of fraud, three of obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception, two of forgery and two of using a false instrument.
From BBC • Jan. 10, 2023
The inspections at the Emporion had their pecuniary purpose, of course.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
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.
