Meaning & use
falling angel
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Meanings
nouncountablebusinessfinancespecialist
A bond or company that was once rated as a safe investment but has been downgraded to a riskier, below-investment-grade status.
Grammar: Countable; plural is 'falling angels'. Used mainly in business and financial news.
Patterns
- a falling angel bond
- downgrade to a falling angel
- invest in falling angels
The fund specializes in buying falling angels at a discount.
After the downgrade, the bond was classified as a falling angel.
Falling angels can offer high yields, but they also carry more risk.
nouncountablereligionliterary
In religious or literary contexts, an angel that has rebelled against God or been cast out of heaven.
Grammar: Countable; plural is 'falling angels'. Often used in poetry, fantasy, and discussions of mythology.
Patterns
- a falling angel from heaven
- the story of a falling angel
The poem describes a falling angel who chooses darkness over light.
In the painting, a falling angel is shown with broken wings.
Word forms
| plural | falling angels |
|---|
Common combinations
- a falling angel bond
- The portfolio includes several falling angel bonds.
- downgrade to a falling angel
- The rating agency downgraded the company's debt to a falling angel.
- invest in falling angels
- Some investors deliberately invest in falling angels to profit from a possible recovery.
- the story of a falling angel
- The novel tells the story of a falling angel who seeks redemption.
Synonyms and how they differ
- junk bond
- A high-risk, high-yield bond; a falling angel is a specific type of junk bond that was once highly rated.
- fallen angel
- In religious contexts, 'fallen angel' is the more common phrase for an angel that has already sinned; 'falling angel' emphasizes the process of falling.
Word family
Commonly confused: falling angel or fallen angel?
falling angel vs fallen angel
A 'fallen angel' is an angel that has already fallen. A 'falling angel' is in the process of falling or, in finance, a bond that has just been downgraded.
Practice
In finance, a falling angel is a bond that has been _____.
Choose one answer.
A falling angel is a bond that was once investment grade but has been downgraded to below investment grade. The other options describe different financial events.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “falling angel”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.