moratorium
- 01 C1 Advanced
a temporary stop to a specific activity, often for safety or political reasons.
a formal suspension of an ongoing activity or practice, typically mandated by a governing body.
Simple“The government called for a moratorium on new coal mines to protect the environment.”
In context“Environmental groups are lobbying for a ten-year moratorium on deep-sea mining until the long-term ecological impacts can be fully assessed.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'on'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
a legal agreement that lets a person or country stop paying debts for a short time.
a legally authorized period of delay in the performance of a legal obligation or the payment of a debt.
Simple“The bank offered a six-month moratorium on mortgage payments during the crisis.”
In context“The international community agreed to a debt moratorium for the developing nation to prevent a total collapse of its domestic economy.”
UsageCommonly appears in financial and legal contexts regarding debt relief.
Synonymsdefermentstay - 03 C2 Proficiency
a period in young adulthood where a person explores their identity before taking on adult duties.
a period of identity exploration during adolescence or young adulthood when permanent commitments are delayed.
Simple“University can be a useful moratorium for students to decide what they want in life.”
In context“Erikson described the psychosocial moratorium as a critical phase for developing a coherent sense of self before entering the workforce.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is specific to psychology and sociology; in general contexts, the word almost always refers to a legal or official halt.
Synonymshiatusexploration phase
“Some 170 states have abolished or introduced a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, according to the UN’s human rights office, OHCHR .”
“These findings suggest eviction trends could have been far worse without government protections, such as a temporary eviction moratorium .”
New Latin from Late Latin morātōrium, noun use of the neuter of morātōrius (“moratory, delaying”), from Latin moror (“I delay”), from mora (“delay”), from Proto-Indo-European *mere (“to delay, hinder”). See also moratory.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.