illiquid

adjective

il·​liq·​uid (ˌ)i(l)-ˈlik-wəd How to pronounce illiquid (audio)
1
: not being cash or readily convertible into cash
illiquid holdings
2
: deficient in liquid assets
an illiquid bank

Examples of illiquid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web About two-thirds of the money that FTX owed to the people who held cryptocurrency on its exchange – roughly $11.3 billion of $16 billion owed – was backed by illiquid coins created by FTX. Brandy Hadley, The Conversation, 7 Nov. 2023 The report alleged that large portions of Alameda’s balance sheet consisted of a highly illiquid crypto token, FTT. Joel Khalili, WIRED, 28 Sep. 2023 The trove of Sam Coins was largely illiquid, but that didn’t stop Alameda from taking out billions of dollars of loans against it, Ellison said. Tory Newmyer, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023 Plus, real estate is an illiquid asset, which can become a burden if the owners are careless about managing the rest of their wealth. Paige Hagy, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2023 Notably, liquid alternative funds are limited to hold a maximum of 15% in illiquid securities, which are defined as securities that can’t be sold in seven days for a price close to net asset value. Julie Cooling, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2023 The Supreme Court's ruling in this case will likely set a precedent on whether illiquid assets can be taxed. Laura Doan, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2023 In contrast, many alternative investments are inherently illiquid. Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2023 Eventually, in the face of uncertainty and fear, households and small businesses start to prefer cash savings to illiquid investment; as a result, growth persistently declines. Adam S. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 2 Aug. 2023 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of illiquid was in 1913

Dictionary Entries Near illiquid

Cite this Entry

“Illiquid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illiquid. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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