CARDINAL UTILITY: A measure of utility, or satisfaction derived from the consumption of goods and services, that can be measured using an absolute scale. Cardinal utility exists if the utility derived from consumption is measurable in the same way that other physical characteristics--height and weight--are measured using a scale that is comparable between people. There is little or no evidence to suggest that such measurement is possible and is not even needed for modern consumer demand theory and indifference curve analysis. Cardinal utility, however, is often employed as a convenient teaching device for discussing such concepts as marginal utility and utility maximization.

     See also | utility | satisfaction | cardinal | second rule of subjectivity | indifference curve | consumer demand theory | ordinal | ordinal utility | quality of life | util | marginal utility | utility maximization |

CARDINAL UTILITY, AmosWEB GLOSS*arama, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2025. [Accessed: July 18, 2025].

Additional information on this term can be found at:

WEB*pedia: cardinal utility

Back to the GLOSS*arama

A variation of the Keynesian injections-leakages model that includes the two private sectors, the household sector and the business sector. This variation, often termed the saving-investment model or private sector injections-leakages model, captures the interaction between induced saving (and indirectly induced consumption expenditures) and autonomous investment expenditures. This model provides an alternative to the two-sector aggregate expenditures (Keynesian cross) analysis of the macroeconomy, including equilibrium, disequilibrium, and the multiplier. Equilibrium is identified as the intersection between the saving line and the investment line. Two related variations are the three-sector injections-leakages model and the four-sector injections-leakages model.

Complete Entry | Visit the WEB*pedia

Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time searching the newspaper want ads seeking to buy either an extra large beach blanket or a large flower pot shaped like a Greek urn. Be on the lookout for fairy dust that tastes like salt.
Your Complete Scope

This isn't me! What am I?

-- Larry Bird, basketball player

User Feedback