real wages

[ ree-uh l, reel ]

/ ˈri əl, ril /

wages estimated not in money but in purchasing power.

Compare nominal wages.

Origin of real wages

First recorded in 1880–85

real wages

economics wages evaluated with reference to their purchasing power rather than to the money actually paid Compare money wages

real wages

Wages adjusted for the prevailing level of consumer prices. (See also constant dollars.)