marginal utility

noun

, Economics.

1. the extra utility or satisfaction derived by a consumer from the consumption of the last unit of a commodity.

Word History and Origins

Origin of marginal utility¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Guys, debating the best way to cook brussels sprouts is of marginal utility.

From The Daily Beast

The marginal utility of further escalation is rapidly declining.

From The Daily Beast

There is a definite change in a celebrity's marginal utility from an unexpected weight gain or loss.

From The Daily Beast

Economic value is not total utility to an individual, nor marginal utility to an individual, nor is it a mere ratio of exchange.

From Project Gutenberg

The term, "natural," has misled Wieser, when it leads him to say that marginal utility alone will rule.

From Project Gutenberg

The garment as a whole is far from being a "marginal utility" to any one; and yet there is something in it that is so.

From Project Gutenberg

Or is the reigning Austrian economics profound in its reliance upon marginal utility?

From Project Gutenberg

And the increment of utility which she derives from buying this marginal pound we call the "marginal utility" of sugar to her.

From Project Gutenberg