Meaning & use
absolute advantage
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountablebusinessspecialist
The ability of a country or firm to produce a good using fewer resources than another producer can.
Grammar: Often used with 'have' or 'give': one country has an absolute advantage over another.
Patterns
- have an absolute advantage in something
- an absolute advantage over someone
- give someone an absolute advantage
The island has an absolute advantage in fishing because its boats need very little fuel.
In theory, trade can still benefit both sides even when one country has an absolute advantage in everything.
nouncountable or uncountablebusiness
A clear and total benefit that one person or group has over others in a situation.
Grammar: Used more loosely outside economics, usually with 'have' or 'enjoy'.
Patterns
- have an absolute advantage over someone
- enjoy an absolute advantage
With its huge research budget, the company has an absolute advantage over smaller rivals.
Speaking three languages gave her an absolute advantage at the interview.
Word forms
| plural | absolute advantages |
|---|
Common combinations
- have an absolute advantage in
- The region has an absolute advantage in cheap solar power.
- an absolute advantage over
- Their early start gave them an absolute advantage over competitors.
- comparative advantage
- Economists often discuss comparative advantage rather than absolute advantage.
- theory of absolute advantage
- The theory of absolute advantage explains why countries trade.
- gain an absolute advantage
- Better machinery helped the factory gain an absolute advantage.
Synonyms and how they differ
- comparative advantage
- Use this when the point is producing at a lower opportunity cost, not simply producing more cheaply than everyone else.
- edge
- Informal and weaker; it means a slight benefit, while absolute advantage means a clear, complete one.
- superiority
- A general word for being better; it does not carry the economic idea of lower production costs.
Opposites
Word family
- absolute adjective
- Complete or total, as in 'absolute advantage'.
- advantage noun
- Something that helps you or puts you in a better position.
- advantageous adjective
- Helpful or favorable, as in 'an advantageous position'.
Commonly confused: absolute advantage or comparative advantage?
absolute advantage vs comparative advantage
Absolute advantage is about producing more efficiently in total; comparative advantage is about producing at a lower opportunity cost. A country can have a comparative advantage even without an absolute one.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'absolute advantage' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Have an absolute advantage over someone' is the standard pattern, and the sentence shows a clear benefit over rivals. The other options misuse the noun phrase grammatically.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “absolute advantage”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.