MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION: A market structure characterized by a large number of small firms, similar but not identical products sold by all firms, relative freedom of entry into and exit out of the industry, and extensive knowledge of prices and technology. This is one of four basic market structures. The other three are perfect competition, monopoly, and oligopoly. Monopolistic competition approximates most of the characteristics of perfect competition, but falls short of reaching the ideal benchmark that is perfect competition. In fact, the best way to think of monopolistic competition is our imperfect real world's best approximation of perfect competition. It aspires to perfect competition, but doesn't quite make it. See also | market structure | perfect competition | oligopoly | monopoly | market control | price maker | marginal cost | demand curve | market failure | monopolistic competition characteristics | monopolistic competition and demand | monopolistic competition and efficiency | inefficiency | product differentiation | competition among the many |
