negotiable

negotiable — adjective

1. describes a price, condition, or part of an agreement that people can talk about

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a price, condition, or part of an agreement that people can talk about and change before everyone accepts the final deal.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • salary is negotiable
  • price is negotiable
  • terms are negotiable
  • rate is negotiable
  • fee is negotiable
  • negotiable conditions
Synonyms
  • 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

Antonyms
  • 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

Grammar Patterns

[noun] + is/are + negotiable

negotiable + [noun]

Usage Note

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

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

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.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • not negotiable
  • non-negotiable cheque
  • marked not negotiable
  • cheque is negotiable
Synonyms
  • cashable

    informal; used for a cheque that can be turned into cash directly

  • uncrossed

    specific technical term — an uncrossed cheque can be cashed over the counter

Antonyms
  • non-negotiable

    the opposite — the most common form of this sense, meaning the cheque must be deposited

Grammar Patterns

cheque + is/are + (not) negotiable

non-negotiable + cheque

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

I paid with a not-negotiable cheque.
I paid with a non-negotiable cheque.
use the hyphenated compound adjective 'non-negotiable' before a noun.
The cheque is negotiable so I can cash it anywhere.
The cheque is not negotiable so I must deposit it.
in practice, most personal cheques in the UK are non-negotiable; the term appears mainly in the negative.

3. describes a financial product, such as a bond or share certificate, that people

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

describes a financial product, such as a bond or share certificate, that people can legally buy, sell, or transfer from one owner to another.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • negotiable instrument
  • negotiable security
  • negotiable bond
  • negotiable certificate
  • negotiable share
Synonyms
  • 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

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

negotiable + [financial noun]

[noun] + is/are + negotiable

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

This share is negotiable so it cannot be sold.
This share is negotiable so it can be sold.
negotiable means transferable, not restricted.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four describe situations where something is not firmly settled, but they differ in scope and context. Negotiable is the most specific: it applies to terms, prices, or conditions that both sides can work out before an agreement — for example, a job offer where the start date is negotiable. Flexible is broader: it can describe a person's schedule, materials, or even someone's attitude ('my boss is flexible about working hours'). Open to discussion is more transparent and conversational, often used when inviting a counterpart to propose changes ('the payment plan is open to discussion'). Debatable shifts the meaning toward uncertainty or doubt rather than compromise, so it fits opinions ('whether that approach works is debatable') rather than business terms. Use negotiable when talking about agreements and contracts; use flexible for personal arrangements; use open to discussion when you want to invite proposals; and use debatable only when the point is in question.

negotiable ↗flexible ↗open to discussiondebatable

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • freely negotiable
  • fully negotiable
  • partly negotiable
  • individually negotiable

Phrases

  • open to negotiation
  • subject to negotiation

Prepositions

  • negotiable between
  • negotiable with

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Negotiable comes from the Latin verb negotiari, meaning 'to carry on business'. This breaks down into nec (not) and otium (leisure) — so the root idea is 'not at leisure, being busy with trade'. The word passed through French into English, and by the 1700s it was being used in legal and commercial contexts to describe documents that could be traded or transferred. The broader sense — 'open to discussion' — emerged in the early 1900s as negotiation became a common part of everyday agreements.