Meaning & use
unbundling
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“unbundling” is a form of “unbundle”.
Meanings
noununcountablebusiness
the act of separating a company's products or services so they are sold or offered individually instead of as one package.
Grammar: Usually uncountable; can be used with the or a phrase like the unbundling of something.
Patterns
- the unbundling of something
- unbundling in an industry
The unbundling of the airline's services meant passengers now pay for each bag.
Industry analysts expect further unbundling of television packages.
Unbundling can lower prices for customers who want only one part of a service.
verbtransitivebusiness
present participle of unbundle: separating products or services that were previously sold together.
Grammar: Used as part of a progressive verb form: is unbundling something.
Patterns
- be unbundling something
The company is unbundling its software suite into separate apps.
Banks are unbundling research from trading fees.
Word forms
| base form | unbundle |
|---|---|
| third person singular | unbundles |
| past tense | unbundled |
| past participle | unbundled |
Common combinations
- the unbundling of services
- The unbundling of services changed how customers pay for cable TV.
- unbundling in the industry
- Unbundling in the industry has created many smaller competitors.
- full unbundling
- Regulators demanded full unbundling of the network.
- unbundling fees
- Unbundling fees can make the total cost higher than before.
Synonyms and how they differ
- separation
- Separation is a general word for dividing things; unbundling specifically refers to splitting combined products or services.
- breakup
- Breakup often suggests a company splitting into separate organizations; unbundling is about separating what is sold together, not necessarily the company itself.
- disaggregation
- Disaggregation is a more technical term used in economics and data; unbundling is more common in business contexts.
Opposites
Word family
- unbundle verb
- to separate products or services that were sold together
- bundling noun
- the practice of selling products or services together as a package
Commonly confused: unbundling or bundling?
unbundling vs bundling
Bundling means combining products into one package; unbundling is the opposite, separating them.
Practice
The telecom regulator ordered the ______ of the network so smaller providers could use it.
Choose one answer.
Unbundling fits because the network is being separated for other providers. Bundling would mean combining services, which is the opposite; unbending and unburdening are unrelated words.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unbundling”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.