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 of monetary

• financial
• economic
• fiscal

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

All eyes are on the Federal Reserve’s final meeting of 2025 to see if the central bank will deliver the interest rate cut the market expects and, especially, what chair Jerome Powell says afterward about the outlook for monetary policy. —Sean Conlon, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2025

What To Know Liu Xiaoshu, the chief economist at the Bank of Qingdao and director of the China Chief Economist Forum, said in a recent op-ed that reliance on fiscal and monetary stimulus is not a path to sustainable growth. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025

Unlike an actual dog’s daily sample, these will likely rack up monetary value over time. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2025

Leveraging her blog, social media and church, Amanda received more than $100,000 in monetary donations, including cash, gift cards, trips, freebies and other tokens for her lymphoma treatment, despite never being sick. —Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 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