monetary

adjective

mon·​e·​tary ˈmä-nə-ˌter-ē 

 also  ˈmə-

: of or relating to money or to the mechanisms by which it is supplied to and circulates in the economy

a crime committed for monetary gain

a government's monetary policy

monetarily

ˌmä-nə-ˈter-ə-lē 

 also  ˌmə-

adverb

Synonyms

• financial
• fiscal
• economic

Examples of monetary in a Sentence

a crime committed for monetary gain

Gold was once the basis of the U.S. monetary system.

Recent Examples on the Web

Piñate, Vasquez, Bautista and Elie Moreno, a dual citizen of Venezuela and Israel who oversaw Smartmatic’s contracts in the Philippines, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and three counts of international laundering of monetary instruments. —Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025

States such as Colorado have started publishing yearly reports on the monetary payoff of college, and Texas now factors it into calculations for how much taxpayer money goes to community colleges. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025

Conventional monetary policy tends to influence short-term rates; longer-term rates are set by the markets. —Allison Schrager, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025

Taken together and combined with recent statements from other monetary policymakers, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee looks to be on a clear path to more reductions, the extent to which remains unclear. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin monetarius of a mint, of money, from Latin moneta

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing monetary

• monetary aggregate
• monetary unit

Rhymes for monetary

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

Kids Definition

monetary

adjective

mon·​e·​tary ˈmän-ə-ˌter-ē 

 also  ˈmən-

: of or relating to money

this administration's monetary policy