Phrase guide

Goldilocks economy

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A not "too hot" or "too cold" economy, sustaining moderate economic growth and a low inflation allowing for a market-friendly monetary policy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: economics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

After the girl in the fairy tale who found one bowl of porridge too hot, one too cold, and one just right. The first use of this phrase is credited to David Shulman of Salomon Brothers, who wrote The Goldilocks Economy: Keeping the Bears at Bay in March 1992.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: kultakutritalous — economy sustaining moderate growth and low inflation
  • Polish: gospodarka Złotowłosej — economy sustaining moderate growth and low inflation
  • Spanish: economía Ricitos de Oro — economy sustaining moderate growth and low inflation
  • Swedish: Guldlock-ekonomi — economy sustaining moderate growth and low inflation