industrials
C1Formal, financial, business, historical
Definition
Meaning
A plural noun referring to shares or stocks of companies involved in heavy industry or manufacturing.
A sector classification for stocks of companies producing industrial goods, equipment, or providing related services. Also used historically as an adjective (now less common) meaning 'related to industrial processes or workers'.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a countable plural noun in modern finance (e.g., 'the industrials rose'). As an adjective, now archaic/technical and usually replaced by 'industrial'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Identical in financial contexts. As an adjective, 'industrials' is largely obsolete in both, but may appear in historical British texts referring to industrial workers or schools.
Connotations
Neutral in finance; archaic/formal as an adjective.
Frequency
High frequency in financial reporting; very low in general language.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The [adj.] industrials [verb].Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “ride the industrials up”
- “the bellwethers of the industrials”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Common in market reports: 'Industrials led the rally.'
Academic
Rare, except in economic history: '19th-century industrials organized.'
Everyday
Almost never used.
Technical
Standard in finance for sector classification.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- The 19th-century industrials class emerged. (historical)
American English
- The industrials average is a key index. (financial, proper noun)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He invested in technology stocks, not industrials.
- While consumer staples were flat, the major industrials posted strong gains on renewed infrastructure spending hopes.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'Industrials' = 'Industries' + 'Stocks'. A stock market sector for industrial companies.
Conceptual Metaphor
MARKET AS A MACHINE: Industrials are the engine driving the market forward.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Confusion with 'industrial' (индустриальный). 'Industrials' refers to shares, not just the adjective.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'industrials' as a singular noun (e.g., 'an industrials'), using it as a synonym for 'industries'.
Practice
Quiz
In which context would you most likely encounter the word 'industrials'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a plural noun when referring to stocks. You would say 'Industrials are rising,' not 'Industrials is rising.'
This usage is now archaic. In modern English, use 'industrial workers' or 'factory workers'.
'Industries' refers to broad economic sectors (e.g., the automotive industry). 'Industrials' specifically refers to the stocks/shares of companies within the heavy industry sector.
It is pronounced /ɪnˈdʌstriəlz/, with the primary stress on the second syllable, just like the adjective 'industrial'.