monetary

adjective

mon·​e·​tary ˈmä-nə-ˌter-ē How to pronounce monetary (audio)
 also  ˈmə-
: of or relating to money or to the mechanisms by which it is supplied to and circulates in the economy
a crime committed for monetary gain
a government's monetary policy
monetarily
ˌmä-nə-ˈter-ə-lē How to pronounce monetary (audio)
 also  ˌmə-
adverb

Examples of monetary in a Sentence

a crime committed for monetary gain Gold was once the basis of the U.S. monetary system.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Instead, Fed officials will wait for the winner to take office and start turning campaign rhetoric into specific governance decisions — and see how businesses, consumers and financial markets react before calibrating monetary policy. Axios, 5 Nov. 2024 Asia-Pacific markets rose Monday as investors watch the U.S. election, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting and China’s monetary policy meeting starting Monday. Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2024 The Fed is the nation's central bank, leaving it in charge of monetary policy. Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024 Especially with the Fed having pivoted into easing monetary policy, further fiscal stimulus raises the risk that inflation gets stuck above 2 percent or reignites. David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for monetary 

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin monetarius of a mint, of money, from Latin moneta

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of monetary was in 1663

Dictionary Entries Near monetary

Cite this Entry

“Monetary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monetary. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

monetary

adjective
mon·​e·​tary ˈmän-ə-ˌter-ē How to pronounce monetary (audio)
 also  ˈmən-
: of or relating to money
this administration's monetary policy

More from Merriam-Webster on monetary

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!