untradable
|un-trad-a-ble|
🇺🇸
/ʌnˈtreɪdəbl/
🇬🇧
/ʌnˈtreɪdəb(ə)l/
cannot be bought or sold
Etymology
'untradable' originates from English, formed by the prefix 'un-' (meaning 'not') plus 'tradable' (from 'trade' + suffix '-able'), where 'un-' meant 'not' and '-able' meant 'capable of'.
'trade' developed in Middle English from earlier Germanic sources (related to words like Old English 'tredan' meaning 'to tread' and to senses of 'track' and 'dealings'), 'tradable' was formed by adding '-able' to 'trade', and modern English formed 'un-' + 'tradable' to make 'untradable'.
Initially constructed to mean 'not capable of being traded' and it has retained that specific negative/privative meaning in current usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the state or quality of being untradable; inability to be traded.
The untradability of certain bonds during the crisis increased market stress.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
not able to be bought, sold, or exchanged on a market; not tradable.
Many small, illiquid shares are effectively untradable on normal exchanges.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 2
variant spelling: 'untradeable' (same meaning as 'untradable').
Some commentators prefer the spelling 'untradeable' when writing about restricted assets.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/12 14:29