WORD OF THE DAY: Monopsony

[mə-NAHP-sə-nee]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Greek, 1930s

Definition: (Economics) A market situation in which there is only one buyer.

Examples of Monopsony in a sentence

“The conglomerate used questionable tactics to create this monopsony.”

“Is Amazon a monopsony in the goods market?”

About Monopsony

This word stems from the Greek suffix “mono-” meaning “one” and the Greek “opsōnein,” meaning “buy provisions.”

Did you Know?

“Monopsony” can be easily mistaken with “monopoly,” but they have somewhat inverse definitions. While a “monopsony” is a market situation in which there is only one buyer of a good or service, a “monopoly” is a situation in which there is only one producer of a good or service. Economic theory proposes that monopsonies can lead to lower wages for workers because they are paid less than their marginal revenue product.

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