Recessionary

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to a phase in the economic cycle that features declining GDP, diminished employment opportunities, and a general drop in consumer confidence
2. Characterized by circumstances where economic output contracts, investment decreases, and businesses may face stagnation or losses
3. Connected with periods of economic decline marked by reduced industrial activity and higher unemployment

Etymology: "Recessionary" is a plain formation: the noun "recession" with the suffix "-ary", which turns it into an adjective meaning "relating to or characterized by" the thing named. "Recession" itself comes from Latin "recessio", a noun from "recedere", meaning "to go back" or "withdraw", built from "re-" (back) and "cedere" (to go). The original sense was simply a withdrawal or retreat, and the economic meaning of a downturn came later. The suffix has a longer pedigree than the adjective. It descends from Latin "-arius", which formed adjectives meaning "pertaining to", and reached English through Middle English "-arie" before settling into the modern "-ary" spelling. English has used it for centuries to build adjectives like "documentary" and "parliamentary," so "recessionary" follows a very old pattern applied to a much newer noun.

Synonyms: economic downturn, depressive, declining

Antonyms: prosperous, expanding, booming