Vocabulary Builder — Essay & Answer Writing
Fungible
adjective
/ FUN-jih-bul /
Hard
Meaning
Interchangeable; (of goods or assets) able to replace or be replaced by another identical item, so individual units have no unique distinction
Origin / Etymology
Medieval Latin fungibilis — from fungi meaning 'to perform or enjoy'; used in Roman law for goods that could be substituted
Synonyms
Interchangeable
Substitutable
Exchangeable
Replaceable
Antonyms
Non-fungible
Unique
Irreplaceable
Example Sentence
"Crude oil is a fungible commodity — Russian crude sanctioned by the West was simply rerouted to India and China, undermining the intended economic pressure."
🎯 UPSC Usage
Essential for GS-3 (economy, energy security) answers. Use when discussing commodity markets, sanctions evasion, or cryptocurrency (NFTs are non-fungible tokens by design). Also relevant in GS-2 for budget analysis — funds are often fungible across heads, complicating ring-fencing of social sector spending.
Relevant Subjects