real income

[ree-uhl, reel]

noun

1. the amount of goods and services that money income will buy.

real income

1. Income measured in terms of the goods and services it can buy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of real income¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

"However, softer earnings growth, higher inflation, tighter fiscal policy, and the lagged impact of past interest rate rises for some mortgagors point to much weaker real income growth moving forward."

Read more on BBC

Those two headwinds have eased as inflation and oil and gas prices have fallen, and as wages have started to rise to make up for inflation and restore lost disposable real income.

Read more on Seattle Times

And Gracie's homemade cake business is more of a hobby than a source of any real income.

Read more on Salon

Workers in the bottom pay quartile also saw median "real" income gains of 6% since 2019, more than the rest of the income distribution.

Read more on Reuters

"It's true the recent cost-push inflation is lowering real income, hurting households and adding burdens to some smaller firms," Ueda said.

Read more on Reuters