# mutual

Pronunciation: say "MYOO-choo-uhl" US /ˈmjut͡ʃuəl/, UK /ˈmjuːt͡ʃuəl/

## Adjective

1. Felt or directed by each of two or more people toward the other in the same way.
   - Simple: Felt or done by two people toward each other in the same way.
   - _The two countries reached a mutual understanding after months of negotiation._
   - _Her admiration for the older writer turned out to be mutual._
2. Given or done by each party in return for the same from the other; reciprocal.
   - Simple: Given by each side to the other in return.
   - _The treaty rested on mutual obligations that bound both nations equally._
   - _Their partnership worked because the support was mutual rather than one-sided._
3. Done together or held in common by a group of people.
   - Simple: Shared by everyone in a group, or done together.
   - _The neighbors pooled their savings for the mutual benefit of the whole street._
   - _Years of mutual labor went into building the community garden._
4. Held or possessed jointly by two or more parties.
   - Simple: Owned or known by two or more people together.
   - _They discovered they had a mutual acquaintance from college._
   - _The lake was the mutual property of every family along its shore._
5. Owned by its members rather than by external shareholders, as with certain insurers and savings banks.
   - Simple: Owned by the people who are its members, not by outside investors.
   - _Customers chose the mutual society because its profits flowed back to members._
   - _A mutual insurer answers to its policyholders instead of stock investors._

## Noun

6. An investment vehicle that pools money from many investors to buy a mix of stocks, bonds, or other assets.
   - Simple: A kind of investment that pools money from many people to buy stocks or bonds.
   - _Her broker recommended a balanced mutual for long-term growth._
   - _Index mutuals often charge lower fees than actively managed ones._
7. A person who follows your social media account while you follow theirs in return.
   - Simple: A person you follow online who also follows you back.
   - _He became a mutual after we kept liking each other's photos._
   - _Several of my mutuals reposted the announcement within minutes._
8. An organization owned by its members or customers rather than by outside shareholders.
   - Simple: A company owned by its members or customers instead of outside investors.
   - _The cooperative bank operates as a mutual, accountable to its depositors._
   - _Regional mutuals once dominated the home-loan market._

## Origin

Borrowed from Middle French mutuel, which comes from Latin mūtuus.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/mutual (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).