negotiation

noun

ne·​go·​ti·​a·​tion ni-ˌgō-shē-ˈā-shən 

nonstandard

-sē- 

: the action or process of negotiating or being negotiated

—often used in plural

Negotiations between the two governments have failed to produce an agreement.

Synonyms of negotiation

• compromise
• consensus

Examples of negotiation in a Sentence

We need a negotiation between the townspeople and mayor over the site of the new library.

She is skilled at negotiation.

The college president was against any negotiation with the students.

Recent Examples on the Web

During contract negotiations last year, Worlds of Fun maintenance workers raised concerns about staffing and safety issues at the park. —Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025

World leaders come to the White House for Oval Office sit-downs almost every week; negotiations over tariffs are permanently front and center. —Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 7 Nov. 2025

The Writers Guild of America has unveiled the staff and union members who will be leading the group into battle with studios and streamers during its first negotiations since its 2023 strike. —Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025

Mark focused solely on litigation and client intake, while Alexis managed pre-litigation and negotiations. —William Jones, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English negociacion "dealing with people," borrowed from Latin negōtiātiōn-, negōtiātiō "business, trade," from negōtiārī "to do business, trade, deal" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at negotiate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing negotiation

• in negotiation
• open to negotiation
• under negotiation

Rhymes for negotiation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration