fiscal

1 of 2

adjective

fis·​cal ˈfi-skəl 

1

: of or relating to taxation, public revenues, or public debt

fiscal policy

the city's fiscal requirements

2

: of or relating to financial matters

fiscal transactions

fiscally

ˈfi-skə-lē 

adverb

fiscal

2 of 2

noun

1

: revenue stamp

2

: fiscal year

Did you know?

Fiscal comes from the Latin noun fiscus, meaning “basket” or “treasury.” In ancient Rome, fiscus was the term for the treasury controlled by the emperor, where the money was literally stored in baskets and was collected primarily in the form of revenue from the provinces. Fiscus also gave English confiscate, which is most familiar as a verb meaning “to seize by or as if by authority,” but can additionally refer to the forfeiting of private property to public use. Today, we often encounter fiscal in “fiscal year,” a 12-month accounting period not necessarily coinciding with the calendar year.

Synonyms of fiscal

Adjective

• financial
• economic

Examples of fiscal in a Sentence

Adjective

the fiscal health of the university

gained some fiscal knowledge by taking an economics course

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Boca Raton — Boca Raton is one of the wealthiest cities in Florida, but even along its golden sands, people still get stuck in fiscal undertows. —Steve Hartman, CBS News, 9 May 2026

With Nvidia’s earnings report for its fiscal first quarter less than two weeks away, shareholders will get a clearer picture of the size of the company’s expanding portfolio and its impact on financials. —Kristina Partsinevelos,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 9 May 2026

Noun

To be clear, despite a high base, the conventional sectors are growing at a healthy pace and should attract investment of over 21.5 trillion rupees over two years — which will be 1.4 times of the preceding two fiscals, said Krishnan Sitaraman, chief ratings officer at Crisil Ratings. —Menaka Doshi, Bloomberg, 21 Apr. 2026

Unfazed Growth As reported earlier this month, India's economy is projected to grow 7.4% in the fiscal year ending March 2026, higher than the 6.5% growth in the last fiscal. —Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Latin fiscalis, from fiscus basket, treasury

First Known Use

Adjective

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fiscal

• fiscal conservative
• fiscal year

Rhymes for fiscal

• discal
• meniscal

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Kids Definition

fiscal

adjective

fis·​cal

ˈfis-kəl

1

: of or relating to public finances

2

: of or relating to financial matters

fiscally

-kə-lē

adverb

Legal Definition

fiscal

adjective

fis·​cal ˈfis-kəl 

1

: of or relating to taxation, public revenues, or public debt

fiscal policy

2

: of or relating to financial matters

fiscally adverb

Etymology

Adjective

Latin fiscalis, from fiscus basket, treasury