fungible

1 of 2

adjective

fun·​gi·​ble ˈfən-jə-bəl How to pronounce fungible (audio)
1
: being something (such as money or a commodity) of such a nature that one part or quantity may be replaced by another equal part or quantity in paying a debt or settling an account
Oil, wheat, and lumber are fungible commodities.
fungible goods
2
: capable of mutual substitution : interchangeable
… the court's postulate that male and female jurors must be regarded as fungibleGeorge Will
3
: readily changeable to adapt to new situations : flexible
Managers typically use more than a hundred different lineups over the course of the season. Batting orders are so fungible that few players last long in one spot.Tom Verducci
fungibility noun

fungible

2 of 2

noun

: something that is fungible (see fungible entry 1 sense 1) : a good one part or quantity of which can be substituted for another of equal value in satisfying an obligation
usually used in plural
Fungibles may be valued by weight or measure.

Did you know?

Before expectations about the origins of fungible mushroom into mycological fantasy: no, fungible has no relation to the noun fungus and its plural fungi. The fungi in fungible is there because of the Latin verb fungi, meaning “to perform,” ancestor of both fungible and function. Fungible is considerably less familiar than its cousin to most English users, but it pops up like toadstools (sorry) in legal, technological, and economic contexts. Something described as fungible can be exchanged for something else of the same kind. For example, when we say “oil is a fungible commodity,” we mean that when a purchaser is expecting a delivery of oil, any oil of the stipulated quantity and quality will usually do. Another example of something fungible is cash. It doesn't matter what twenty dollar bill you get—it’s still worth the same amount as any other twenty dollar bill. In contrast, something like a work of art (or an NFT, aka a “non-fungible token”) isn’t fungible; a purchaser would expect a specific, identifiable item to be delivered. In broader use, fungible can mean “interchangeable,” or sometimes “readily changeable to adapt to new situations.”

Examples of fungible in a Sentence

Adjective since fruits and vegetables are regarded as fungible in this diet, you are allowed a total of five servings of either or both
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
This process turns the smallest denomination of fungible bitcoin into non-fungible assets most commonly known as Ordinals. Liam Wright, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 The fungible nature of global fiat credit will dictate that the marginal fiat dollar will flow into hard monetary assets like bitcoin. Billy Bambrough, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 The obvious problem with that explanation also applies here: Money is fungible, and Tehran will no doubt adjust for the new humanitarian funds by diverting more spending for malign purposes. The Editors, National Review, 16 Nov. 2023 While the State Department has said the money is unspent and can only be used for humanitarian purposes, critics argue money is fungible and that the $6 billion could allow Iran to free up other funding to support terror. Gabe Kaminsky, Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2023 Never mind that the contemporary sporting-industrial complex has converted promising young kids — especially Brazilian kids — into fungible units to be bartered and sold to high bidders in London, Paris and Barcelona. Reed Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2022 That still may not satisfy critics, who may argue that the fungible nature of money means any relief to the financially strapped Iranian regime will help the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism despite its ongoing human rights abuses. Margaret Brennan, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2023 Other than the ball, which no player really owns, no piece of baseball equipment is as fungible as a pair of batting gloves. Zach Buchanan, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2023 Behind every great fortune is a great crime, according to an adage attributed to Balzac—but, unlike the money, the crimes are not fungible. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fungible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

New Latin fungibilis, from Latin fungi to perform — more at function

First Known Use

Adjective

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1681, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fungible was in 1649

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Dictionary Entries Near fungible

Cite this Entry

“Fungible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fungible. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fungible

adjective
fun·​gi·​ble
ˈfən-jə-bəl
1
: having such a nature that one part or quantity may be replaced by another part or quantity to satisfy an obligation
2
: capable of being interchanged
3

Legal Definition

fungible

1 of 2 adjective
fun·​gi·​ble
ˈfən-jə-bəl
: being something (as money or a commodity) one part or quantity of which can be substituted for another of equal value in paying a debt or settling an account
oil, wheat, and lumber are fungible commodities

fungible

2 of 2 noun
: something that is fungible
Etymology

Adjective

New Latin fungibilis, from Latin fungi to perform

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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