Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

oligopoly

[ol-i-gop-uh-lee]

Origin

noun

the market condition that exists when there are few sellers, as a result of which they can greatly influence price and other market factors. Compare duopoly, monopoly (def. 1).

Origin:
1890–95; oligo- + (mono)poly

Related forms

ol·i·gop·o·lis·tic

[ol-i-gop-uh-lis-tik] , adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To oligopoly

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Oligopoly has a plethora of syllables.

So is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Does it mean:

(used as a nonsense word by children to express approval or to represent the longest word in English.)

the estimation of something as valueless (encountered mainly as an example of one of the longest words in the English language).

LEARN MORE LONG WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Collins

World English Dictionary

oligopoly (ˌɒlɪˈɡɒpəlɪ)

—n , pl -lies
	economics a market situation in which control over the supply of a commodity is held by a small number of producers each of whom is able to influence prices and thus directly affect the position of competitors

[C20: from oligo- + Greek pōlein to sell, on the model of monopoly]

oligopo'listic

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

oligopoly

1895, from Gk. oligos "little, small," in plural, "few" + polein "to sell" (see monopoly).

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

oligopoly [(ol-i-gop-uh-lee, oh-li-gop-uh-lee)]

Control over the production and sale of a product or service by a few companies.