George WillTom Verducci
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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
Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2025
That’s what a fungible salary cap is for.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 2025
After the theft is converted to USD or any other fungible national currency, it is used for the Ballistic Missile program or any of the pet programs of the North Koreans.
—Vipin Bharathan, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Netflix’s recent political thrillers have been rendered largely fungible by the streamer’s compact release schedule.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fungible
Cite this Entry
“Fungible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fungible. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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