ENGLISH
REFERENCE

economics

n. uncountable
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˌɛkəˈnɑmɪks// UK //ˌiːkənˈɒmɪks// eco·nom·ics General-service

n. the study of how people, businesses, and countries use their money and resources. It looks at how things are made, sold, and bought.

n. the social science concerned with the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth. It examines how agents interact and how economies function.


SIMPLE

She is studying economics at university.

CONTEXTUAL

The government is changing its policies to improve the country's economics and reduce unemployment.

COMPLEX

While classical economics assumes that individuals always act rationally to maximize utility, behavioral models suggest that psychological biases frequently lead to suboptimal financial decisions.

Origin

From econom(y) + -ics, from Latin oeconomia, from Ancient Greek οἰκονομία (oikonomía, “the management of a household”).

Usage

Treated as a singular noun despite the 's' ending; takes a singular verb.

Pitfall

Economics are my favorite subject.Economics is my favorite subject.Names of academic subjects ending in -ics are singular and require a singular verb.

© 2026 English Reference