Meanings
nounVeblen effect (plural Veblen effects)
plural Veblen effects
- Conspicuous consumption.
The Veblen effect, unlike the other two effects, is a response by consumers to the ostentatious price of the good rather than to the quantity others are buying. It is the effect generally known as conspicuous consumption.
2020, Judy Whitehead, Microeconomics: A Global Text, Routledge, →ISBN, page 111
Origin
Named after economist Thorstein Veblen.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Veblen effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Veblen%20effect
MLA
“Veblen effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Veblen%20effect. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Veblen effect,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Veblen%20effect.
Source: Veblen effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.