compound interest
4 synonyms and 1 antonym for compound interest, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — Interest worked out not only on the original sum of money but also on the interest already added to it, so that the amount grows by a larger cash figure in each successive period.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
Interest worked out not only on the original sum of money but also on the interest already added to it, so that the amount grows by a larger cash figure in each successive period.
“With compound interest, the balance grew faster in its final five years than in its first fifteen.”
Opposites
2. noun figurative
The general effect by which any quantity that grows on its own accumulated total increases at an accelerating pace. Used figuratively outside finance.
“He described daily practice as compound interest for the brain.”
How to use compound interest
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Standard in finance and in ordinary speech, and widely used as a metaphor for anything that builds on itself.
Etymology
From compound, meaning combined or added together, plus interest, the charge or payment for the use of money; so named because each period's interest is added to the sum on which the next period's interest is worked out.
Full origin of compound interest →