Meaning & use
viaticals
Last updated
“viaticals” is a form of “viatical”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounpluraltechnicalfinance
Financial arrangements in which a seriously ill person sells their life insurance policy to an investor for cash.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun, usually in the fixed phrase 'viatical settlements'; the singular 'viatical' is rare outside compounds.
Patterns
- viatical settlements
- the market for viaticals
- invest in viaticals
The fund bought viaticals from policyholders who needed money for medical care.
Regulators tightened the rules on viaticals after several investors lost money.
He explained how viaticals work: the buyer pays less than the policy's value and collects the payout later.
adjectivebefore a nountechnicalfinance
Relating to the sale of a life insurance policy by a terminally ill person before death.
Grammar: Comes before a noun, as in 'a viatical settlement'; it is not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- a viatical settlement
- the viatical market
She signed a viatical agreement to cover her treatment costs.
The viatical industry grew quickly in the 1990s.
Word forms
| singular | viatical |
|---|
Common combinations
- viatical settlement
- A viatical settlement let him access cash while he was still alive.
- viatical market
- The viatical market attracts investors willing to take on long-term risk.
- buy viaticals
- Some funds buy viaticals as an alternative investment.
- regulate viaticals
- Several states moved to regulate viaticals more strictly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- life settlement
- A broader term for selling a policy; it also covers healthier sellers, while 'viatical' usually implies a terminal illness.
Word family
- viatical settlement noun
- The full name of the transaction in which a policy is sold for cash.
- viator noun
- The policyholder who sells the insurance policy in such a deal.
Commonly confused: viaticals or viaticum?
viaticals vs viaticum
A similar-looking word meaning provisions for a journey, or in religion, communion given to a dying person; it is not a finance term.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'viaticals' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Viaticals' are life insurance policies sold by seriously ill people, so buying them from such sellers fits. Option 0 wrongly treats them as bills or payments, option 2 confuses them with travel provisions, and option 3 confuses them with a science topic.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “viaticals”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.