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installment debt

installment debt

4.3
Money you pay back in regular fixed payments over time
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈstɔlmənt dɛt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : deuda a plazos
  • She reduced her installment debt by making extra payments each month.
  • consumer installment debt

Examples

  • Paying off installment debt consistently can help improve your credit score.

  • Many people have installment debt in the form of car loans or personal loans.

  • She took on an installment debt to buy her new car.

  • Many people struggle with installment debts each month.

  • Many people find it challenging to manage their installment debt due to rising interest rates.

  • Consolidating your installment debt can help you lower your monthly payments and save on interest.

  • Before applying for a loan, it's important to know how much installment debt you currently have.

Synonyms

debt
vsinstallment debt
2.6

An amount of money that you owe to someone

is specifically the owed balance repaid by fixed regular payments
installment loan
vsinstallment debt
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A loan you repay with regular equal payments over time

is the owed amount repaid in fixed regular payments
installment credit
vsinstallment debt
  • Specialized
4.4

A loan you repay in equal regular payments with interest that people often use to buy a car or furniture

focuses on the owed sum repaid through fixed regular payments

Antonyms

lump sum
  • Specialized
16 3.7

A single large payment that you get all at once instead of in smaller parts

Surface Forms

Morphology

installment + debt

The meaning is directly compositional: 'installment' (a scheduled partial payment) modifies 'debt' (an amount owed), yielding a debt repaid by installments. This noun-noun combination follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Installment debt comes from the idea of a large cost broken into small installments, little 'parts' you pay over time, and debt is the money you owe, so the phrase means owing money you repay with regular 'payments'.