ECONOMICS Definition & Usage Examples | Dictionary.com

economics

[ ek-uh-nom-iks, ee-kuh- ]
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noun
  1. (used with a singular verb) the science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, or the material welfare of humankind.

  2. (used with a plural verb) financial considerations; economically significant aspects: What are the economics of such a project?

Origin of economics

1
First recorded in 1785–95; see origin at economic, -ics

Words Nearby economics

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How to use economics in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for economics

economics

/ (ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪks, ˌɛkə-) /


noun
  1. (functioning as singular) the social science concerned with the production and consumption of goods and services and the analysis of the commercial activities of a society: See also macroeconomics, microeconomics

  2. (functioning as plural) financial aspects: the economics of the project are very doubtful

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for economics

economics

The science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of commodities.

Notes for economics

Economics is generally understood to concern behavior that, given the scarcity of means, arises to achieve certain ends. When scarcity ceases, conventional economic theory may no longer be applicable. (See affluent society.)

Notes for economics

Economics is sometimes referred to as the “dismal science.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.