MONOPOLY: A market structure characterized by a single seller of a unique product with no close substitutes. This is one of four basic market structures. The other three are perfect competition, oligopoly, and monopolistic competition. As the single seller of a unique good with no close substitutes, a monopoly firm essentially has no competition. The demand for a monopoly firm's output is THE market demand. This gives the firm extensive market control--the ability to control the price and/or quantity of the good sold--making a monopoly firm a price maker. However, while a monopoly can control the market price, it can not charge more than the maximum demand price that buyers are willing to pay. See also | market structure | perfect competition | oligopoly | monopolistic competition | market control | price maker | marginal cost | demand curve | market failure | monopoly characteristics | monopoly and demand | monopoly and efficiency | monopoly profit | monopoly and perfect competition | monopsony | natural monopoly | inefficiency |
