intangible asset
1
6.8
- noun
- /ɪnˈtæn.dʒə.bəl ˈæs.et/
- Specialized
:
activo intangible
- The BSC enables organizations to track short-term financial and operating results while monitoring progress in building the capabilities and acquiring the intangible assets needed for future growth and success (Kaplan and Norton 1996b).
- intangible assets and capital
Examples
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First: Dave is right—marketing builds a brand, which is an intangible asset.
Blog text (25) -
I interpret one's brand(s) and reputation as having value: intangible assets.
Blog text (25) -
But I believe that this is part of our intangible assets and should be preserved and passed on.
Blog text (17) -
These measures relate to an organization's more intangible assets and the ability to excel in the future.
Academic text (2001) -
Marketing investments take the form of various intangible assets, like mindshare or brand value.
Blog text (25) -
A number of sample firms disclosed purchases of intangible assets in the investing section of their SCFs.
Academic text (2002) -
But like all other intangible assets, you can't take them out of the mix and calculate an ROI in isolation.
Blog text (25) -
The company's two strongest intangible assets are its technology and brand reputation.
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United's customer loyalty through its Mileage Plus program is one of the airline's most valuable intangible assets.
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Do not forget to consider intangible assets, such as patents and trademarks, when evaluating a business.
Antonyms
How Tangible
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'intangible' = not physical/ hard to grasp + 'asset' = valuable possession, so together they denote a non-physical valuable item. This adjective+noun pattern is regular and has clear cross-linguistic equivalents (e.g., Spanish 'activo intangible'), so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Intangible asset joins intangible, meaning something you cannot touch, and asset, meaning something of value, to give a clear image of a valuable thing with no physical form. That's why the term is used for things like brand names, patents, or goodwill, which are 'valuable' but 'non-physical'.