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

The Carlson ruling expanded a landmark 1971 decision that established that federal officials could be held personally liable for monetary damages for a violation of constitutional rights. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 22 June 2026

But analysts also pointed out that Warsh didn’t push back on the notion of rate hikes and suggested monetary policy isn’t totally restrictive. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 22 June 2026

Ultimately, Greenspan's will be remembered as both a maestro of monetary policy and a reluctant regulator. — Scott Horsley, NPR, 22 June 2026

The release comes after Kevin Warsh sounded more hawkish on monetary policy than some investors and Fed watchers may have expected during his first press conference as Fed Chairman last week. — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 21 June 2026

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
• apiary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• bacillary
• beriberi
• bestiary
• breviary
• budgetary

Kids Definition

monetary

adjective

mon·​e·​tary ˈmän-ə-ˌter-ē 

also ˈmən-

: of or relating to money

this administration's monetary policy