illiquid

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪˈlɪkwɪd/ UK /ɪˈlɪkwɪd/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
not easily converted into cash; lacking ready money

Most of his wealth was illiquid, tied up in property.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · not easily converted into... cash-poorfrozenunconvertible

Opposites

liquid solventcash-rich

Word family

Derived forms illiquidity

Related forms liquid liquidityliquidate

Etymology

From in- ('not') + liquid, from Latin liquidus ('fluid, flowing'), from liquere ('to be fluid'). A financial coinage meaning 'not readily turned into cash'.

liquidus Latin liquere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# illiquid

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪˈlɪkwɪd/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪˈlɪkwɪd/

## Meanings
1. not easily converted into cash; lacking ready money

## Examples
- Most of his wealth was illiquid, tied up in property.

## Synonyms
- cash-poor
- frozen
- unconvertible

## Antonyms
- liquid
- solvent
- cash-rich

## Derived Forms
- illiquidity

## Related Forms
- liquid
- liquidity
- liquidate

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: liquidus
- Root: liquere

## Etymology
From in- ('not') + liquid, from Latin liquidus ('fluid, flowing'), from liquere ('to be fluid'). A financial coinage meaning 'not readily turned into cash'.

## AI Etymology
illiquid comes from in- ('not') + liquid, from Latin liquidus ('fluid, flowing'), from liquere ('to be fluid'). A financial coinage meaning 'not readily turned into cash'. Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the adjective sense is "not easily converted into cash; lacking ready money", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as liquid, liquidity, and liquidate, and in derivatives such as illiquidity. Its semantic neighborhood includes cash-poor, frozen, and unconvertible, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin liquidus and Latin liquere.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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