monopoly

C1 Topic:Economics & Markets

Also spelled monopolise

US /məˈnɑpəli/ UK /məˈnɒpəli/ See IPA manual

Freq #12790

Meanings

1

noun
Complete control of a market by a single company, with no competition.

The company had a monopoly on rail travel in the region.
2

noun
Exclusive control or possession of something.

No single group has a monopoly on good ideas.
3

name
A board game in which players buy, sell, and trade properties to bankrupt their opponents.

We played Monopoly all evening.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms monopoliesmonopolisedmonopolisingmonopolistmonopolistsmonopolize

Derived forms antimonopolymonopolisticmonopolisticallymonopolizationmonopolizemonopolizermonopolylikepigopolypremonopolypromonopolysemimonopoly

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

partial monopoly
Control over part of a market or supply without complete exclusivity.

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Monopoly, recorded in English from the mid-16th century, combines Greek mono- “one” with polein “to sell.”

Etymology

From Latin monopōlium, from Ancient Greek μονοπώλιον (monopṓlion, “a right of exclusive sale”), from μόνος (mónos, “sole”) + πωλέω (pōléō, “to barter, sell”). By surface analysis, mono- + -poly.

Topics

Economics & Markets Sports & Fitness Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# monopoly

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, name
**IPA (US):** /məˈnɑpəli/
**IPA (UK):** /məˈnɒpəli/
**Frequency rank:** 12790

## Meanings
1. Complete control of a market by a single company, with no competition.
2. Exclusive control or possession of something.
3. A board game in which players buy, sell, and trade properties to bankrupt their opponents.

## Examples
- The company had a monopoly on rail travel in the region.
- No single group has a monopoly on good ideas.
- We played Monopoly all evening.

## Derived Forms
- antimonopoly
- monopolistic
- monopolistically
- monopolization
- monopolize
- monopolizer
- monopolylike
- pigopoly
- premonopoly
- promonopoly
- semimonopoly

## Roots and Affixes
- Affix: mono- - one

## Etymology
From Latin monopōlium, from Ancient Greek μονοπώλιον (monopṓlion, “a right of exclusive sale”), from μόνος (mónos, “sole”) + πωλέω (pōléō, “to barter, sell”). By surface analysis, mono- + -poly.

## AI Etymology
Monopoly comes from Latin monopōlium, from Ancient Greek μονοπώλιον (monopṓlion, “a right of exclusive sale”), from μόνος (mónos, “sole”) + πωλέω (pōléō, “to barter, sell”). By surface analysis, mono- + -poly. The surrounding word family includes derived forms such as antimonopoly, monopolistic, monopolistically, and monopolization. In present use it covers complete control of a market by a single company, with no competition, exclusive control or possession of something, and a board game in which players buy, sell, and trade properties to bankrupt their opponents.

## Topics
- Economics & Markets
- Sports & Fitness
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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