endowment effect

noun

The tendency of people to retain an object they own rather than acquire that same object when they do not own it.

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Meanings

nounendowment effect (plural endowment effects)

plural endowment effects

  1. human sciencesThe tendency of people to retain an object they own rather than acquire that same object when they do not own it.
Cite this entry
APA

endowment effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/endowment%20effect

MLA

“endowment effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/endowment%20effect. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “endowment effect,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/endowment%20effect.

Source: endowment effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.