| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. [1/3 definitions] |
| banana republic |
(informal) a small, often politically unstable Central American country with a one-crop economy that is controlled by foreign capital (used as a derogatory label). |
| bearish |
of or pertaining to a real or expected decline in the stock market or in the economy. [1/2 definitions] |
| bullish |
of, concerning, or characteristic of a booming economy or stock market or a person who expects it to be so. [1/3 definitions] |
| buyer's market |
a market or economy in which prices are relatively low because of an abundance of goods or services. (Cf. seller's market.) |
| cheeseparing |
miserly economy; stinginess. [1/3 definitions] |
| collectivization |
the act or process of organizing or reorganizing an economy, business, or industry based on collective ownership and joint control of the means of production and distribution. |
| collectivize |
to organize or reorganize (an economy, business, or industry) based on collective ownership and control of the means of production and distribution. |
| consumerism |
the idea that the consumption of goods is beneficial to society or its economy. [1/2 definitions] |
| crash1 |
the sudden failure of a financial or other enterprise, or of the economy in general. [1/17 definitions] |
| disequilibrium |
a lack or loss of stability, balance, or equilibrium, esp. in the economy. |
| downswing |
a downward turn or trend, as in the economy. [1/2 definitions] |
| downturn |
a turn or tendency downward, as in business or the economy; decline. |
| economics |
(used with a pl. verb) matters of finance or economy; financial affairs. [1/2 definitions] |
| economy |
see "political economy." [1/5 definitions] |
| elliptical |
pertaining to economy of oral or written expression. [2/4 definitions] |
| free enterprise |
the notion that a capitalist economy does not require government support or intervention, but can regulate itself through the relationships of supply and demand in a freely competitive market. |
| globalization |
the process or idea of the world becoming more like that of a single nation with one shared economy and culture rather than separate, distinct countries. |
| macroeconomics |
(used with a sing. verb) the study of a nation's economy as a whole and of the interrelationships of its various sectors and components. (Cf. microeconomics.) |
| mercantilism |
the doctrine, developed in the West after the decline of feudalism, that a nation's economy could be strengthened by governmental protection of home industries, by increased foreign exports, and by accumulating gold and silver. [1/2 definitions] |
| state socialism |
the theory, doctrine, or practice of a planned economy controlled by the state and based on state ownership of major shipping lines, public utilities, and basic industries. |