Definition
relating to or consisting of money.
Pronunciation
US English
UK English
Part of Speech
Adjective.
Synonyms
financial, monetary, fiscal, economic, budgetary.
Antonyms
nonfinancial, nonmonetary, nonpecuniary, gratuitous, altruistic.
Word Forms
| Part of Speech | Words |
|---|---|
| Noun | None |
| Verb | None |
| Adjective | pecuniary |
| Adverb | None |
Example Sentences
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The pecuniary benefits of investing in the stock market are well known, but they come with significant risk.
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The company suffered a huge pecuniary loss due to the economic downturn, leading to a decline in its stock price.
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The athlete’s career flourished, resulting in pecuniary gain from lucrative endorsement deals.
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To ensure that there is no conflict of interest, judges and lawyers are required to disclose any pecuniary interests they may have in a legal case.
Usage
The adjective ‘pecuniary’ is commonly used to describe financial or monetary matters, often in a negative context. It can be used to describe profit or loss in business, personal financial troubles, or to describe the financial implications of legal or political matters.
The word pecuniary comes from the Latin word ‘pecuniarius’, which means ‘relating to money’. The root word ‘pecunia’ means ‘money’ and is used in many other words in the English language, such as ‘impecunious’, which means ‘having no money’.
Sometimes the word pecuniary is used in combination with other words to better describe financial matters. For example, the prefix ’extra-’ can be added to create the word ’extrapacuniary’ which refers to anything that goes beyond monetary gains, like goodwill. Another example is the suffix ‘-ary’ which is added to create the word ‘pecuniarily’ which refers to anything relating to money or finances.
Pecuniary is often used in legal contexts, where it refers to monetary gain or loss. In legal cases, judges and lawyers may need to disclose any pecuniary interests they may have in a case to avoid conflicts of interest. In addition, in contract law, ‘pecuniary damages’ are awarded to compensate someone for a financial loss that has occurred due to a broken contract.
Overall, the word pecuniary is an important term to use when dealing with financial matters. It is widely used in both legal and business contexts and can be used with a variety of prefixes and suffixes to convey additional information.