What does "capital" mean?
Already-produced durable goods available for use as a factor of production, such as steam shovels (equipment) and office buildings (structures).
Capital
/[ˈkʰæp.ɪ.ɾɫ̩]/ adj, intj, noun, slang
adj, intj, noun, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Already-produced durable goods available for use as a factor of production, such as steam shovels (equipment) and office buildings (structures).
- Grammar: capital is listed as adj, intj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: capital letter, uppercase, abecedarian, ability.
- Useful contrasts: noncapital area, noncapital city, operating cost.
- Usage evidence: You must employ your capital well.
How to use "capital"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "capital" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "capital" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "capital" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "capital" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "capital" is acting as adj, intj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "capital letter" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "capital", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Already-produced durable goods available for use as a factor of production, such as steam shovels (equipment) and office buildings (structures). uncountable
- 2 The uppermost part of a column. countable
"But a great wonder of this chamber, and a marvel to behold, was how the capital of every one of the four-and-twenty pillars was hewn from a single precious stone, carved by the hand of some sculptor of long ago into the living form of a monster: […]"
- 3 the upper part of a column that supports the entablature wordnet
- 4 Money and wealth. The means to acquire goods and services, especially in a non-barter system. uncountable
"He does not have enough capital to start a business."
- 5 one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis wordnet
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 The capitalist class; investors considered collectively with respect to their societal (economic, political, cultural, etc.) influence. uncountable
"The markets crashing symbolized capital’s discontent with the tax reforms passed."
- 7 a seat of government wordnet
- 8 A city designated as a legislative seat by the government or some other authority, often the city in which the government is located; otherwise the most important city within a country or a subdivision of it. countable
"Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States of America."
- 9 a center that is associated more than any other with some activity or product wordnet
- 10 The most important city in the field specified. countable
"Hollywood is the film capital, New York the theater capital, Las Vegas the gambling capital."
- 11 wealth in the form of money or property owned by a person or business and human resources of economic value wordnet
- 12 An uppercase letter. countable
- 13 assets available for use in the production of further assets wordnet
- 14 Knowledge; awareness; proficiency. uncountable
"Interpreters need a good amount of cultural capital in order to function efficiently in the profession."
- 15 The chief or most important thing. broadly, countable
Adjective
- 1 Of prime importance. not-comparable
"a capital article in religion"
- 2 Chief (in a political sense, as being the seat of the general government of a state or nation). not-comparable
"London and Paris are capital cities."
- 3 Excellent. UK, comparable, dated, not-comparable
"That is a capital idea!"
- 4 Punishable by, or involving punishment by, death. not-comparable
"capital punishment; capital murder"
- 5 Uppercase. not-comparable
"One begins a sentence with a capital letter."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Uppercase.; used to emphasise greatness or absoluteness not-comparable
"You're a genius with a capital G!"
- 7 Of or relating to the head. not-comparable
"Needs must the Serpent now his capital bruise / Expect with mortal pain."
Adjective
- 1 uppercase wordnet
- 2 of principal importance wordnet
- 3 first-rate wordnet
Intj
- 1 used as an expression of approval, satisfaction, or delight. dated, slang
"That's an amazing idea! Capital!"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"You must employ your capital well."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "capital"?
Common synonyms include: capital letter, uppercase, abecedarian, ability, acmatic, advantageous.
How do you use "capital" in a sentence?
You must employ your capital well.
How do you pronounce "capital"?
Pronounced /[ˈkʰæp.ɪ.ɾɫ̩]/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English capital, borrowed partly from Old French capital and partly from Latin capitālis (“of the head”) (in sense “head of cattle”), from caput (“head”) (English cap) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives). Use in trade and finance originated in Medieval economies when a common but expensive transaction involved trading heads of cattle. The noun is from the adjective. Compare chattel and kith and kine (“all one’s possessions”), which also use “cow” to mean “property”. Doublet of cattle and chattel.
Etymology 2
From Middle English capitale, partly from Old French capital and partly from Late Latin capitellum (“capital or chapiter of a column”), a form of Latin capitulum (“head-like object or structure; chapter”) (whence English capitulum, chapter, and the synonym chapiter (“uppermost part of a column”)), from caput (“head”) + -ulum (diminutive suffix). Doublet of caddie, cadel, cadet, capitellum, and caudillo.