negotiation

noun

ne·​go·​ti·​a·​tion ni-ˌgō-shē-ˈā-shən 

nonstandard

-sē- 

: the action or process of negotiating or being negotiated

—often used in plural

Negotiations between the two governments have failed to produce an agreement.

Synonyms

• compromise
• consensus

Examples of negotiation in a Sentence

We need a negotiation between the townspeople and mayor over the site of the new library.

She is skilled at negotiation.

The college president was against any negotiation with the students.

Recent Examples on the Web

Scott and Jacob also touch on MLS teams’ $41 million Club World Cup haul, with a portion of that money headed to players, pending negotiation between the league and union. —Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 1 July 2025

And if so, should more adjustments be made to the salary cap during the next CBA negotiations, to ensure these teams do not continue to separate themselves from the rest of the league? —Tyler Small, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

Instead, Dermer was reportedly sent to Washington to ensure the U.S. and Israel are aligned before indirect negotiations continue. —Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2025

The Bulls will want to negotiate this number down — which is more easily accomplished by compromising on a longer contract — but their commitment to the guard has been fairly clear in the build-up to these negotiations. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English negociacion "dealing with people," borrowed from Latin negōtiātiōn-, negōtiātiō "business, trade," from negōtiārī "to do business, trade, deal" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at negotiate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing negotiation

• in negotiation
• open to negotiation
• under negotiation

Rhymes for negotiation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration