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 of negotiation

• 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

Despite the two sides being engaged in negotiations for months, a deal has been elusive. —Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2026

The last several days yielded revelations about Bregman’s disappointing negotiations with Boston, and his decision to take a five-year, $175 million deal from the Cubs. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026

Not only teams in the Playoff, but teams in bowl games, are preparing for games while dealing with the portal, with many negotiations and discussions occurring well before the portal opens. —The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026

Heading into negotiations for the current media deal, Amazon had regional rights to NBA games in certain parts of Latin America, as well as the ability to sell League Pass packages internationally. —Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 15 Jan. 2026

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