negotiable
negotiable — adjective
1. describes a price, condition, or part of an agreement that people can talk about
describes a price, condition, or part of an agreement that people can talk about and change before everyone accepts the final deal.
The salary for this position is negotiable, so feel free to discuss your expectations.
collocation: salary is negotiable
Rin asked whether the payment schedule was negotiable before she signed the contract.
collocation: payment schedule was negotiable
When the supplier said the price was negotiable, Tunde offered a lower amount.
Most of the contract terms are negotiable, but the delivery date is fixed.
Is the deposit amount negotiable, or does it have to be the full figure?
- flexible
broader — can describe a person's attitude, not just a condition
- open to discussion
more transparent and conversational; not a single-word adjective
- adjustable
focuses on fine-tuning rather than mutual agreement
- non-negotiable
the direct opposite — fixed, cannot be changed
- fixed
general term meaning the amount or condition is set
- set
similar to fixed; commonly used with prices and schedules
文法句型
[noun] + is/are + negotiable
negotiable + [noun]
用法筆記
Predicative use (the price is negotiable) is far more common than attributive use (negotiable terms). The attributive form appears mainly in legal or formal writing.
2. describes whether a cheque can be exchanged for cash immediately — a non-negotia
describes whether a cheque can be exchanged for cash immediately — a non-negotiable cheque can only be deposited into an account, not cashed over the counter.
The cheque was marked 'not negotiable', so Romi paid it into her account.
passive: was marked 'not negotiable'
Employers often send non-negotiable cheques so the money goes straight into the bank.
attributive: non-negotiable cheque
Samir received a non-negotiable cheque for his wages and deposited it that morning.
The bank teller explained that a non-negotiable cheque cannot be signed over to someone else.
A negotiable cheque can be exchanged for cash directly at the bank counter.
- non-negotiable
the opposite — the most common form of this sense, meaning the cheque must be deposited
文法句型
cheque + is/are + (not) negotiable
non-negotiable + cheque
用法筆記
In British English, most personal cheques are printed with 'not negotiable' and the instruction 'Account Payee only'. This sense is encountered in both negative (not negotiable) and affirmative (a negotiable cheque) forms, though the negative is more common in everyday banking.
常見錯誤
3. describes a financial product, such as a bond or share certificate, that people
describes a financial product, such as a bond or share certificate, that people can legally buy, sell, or transfer from one owner to another.
Government bonds are negotiable instruments that trade freely on the open market.
collocation: negotiable instruments
The bank issues negotiable certificates of deposit that investors can buy and sell.
attributive: negotiable certificates of deposit
Owning negotiable shares allows investors to move their money between companies quickly.
Élise learned that most stocks are negotiable, meaning she could sell them at any time.
A negotiable instrument can be transferred by delivery without telling the original issuer.
- transferable
broader term — applies to any asset that can change hands
- tradable
emphasises the buying and selling aspect
- marketable
adds the idea that there is a ready market for the product
- non-transferable
cannot be legally passed to another person
- non-marketable
no available market exists for the product
文法句型
negotiable + [financial noun]
[noun] + is/are + negotiable
用法筆記
Unlike sense 2, this sense is used in the affirmative (a negotiable instrument). The term 'negotiable instrument' is a legal category that includes bills of exchange, promissory notes, and bearer bonds. Subject is typically a financial document or security.