mutual

English

Alternative forms

• mut. (abbreviation)
• mutuall (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French mutuel, from Latin mūtuus. Displaced native Old English ġemǣne.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmjuːt͡ʃuəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

mutual (comparative more mutual, superlative most mutual)

1. Having the same relationship, each to each other.

   They were mutual enemies.

2. Collective, done or held in common.

   Mutual insurance.

3. Reciprocal.

   They had mutual fear of each other.

4. Possessed in common.

   They had been introduced by a mutual friend.

   • 1809, Faculty of Advocates (Scotland), Decisions of the Court of Sessions, from 1752 to 1808, page 216:

     On his area the pursuer built a dwelling-house, of which the gable and garden-wall were mutual with his neighbour Smith […]

5. (business, finance, insurance) Owned by the members.

Synonyms

• (done or held in common): shared; see also Thesaurus:joint
• (reciprocal): reciprocative; see also Thesaurus:reciprocal

Derived terms

• automutual
• intermutual
• mutual admiration society
• mutual assured destruction
• mutual combat
• mutual consent
• mutual friend
• mutual inductance
• mutual induction
• mutual information
• mutual insurance
• mutualisation
• mutualist
• mutualistic
• mutuality
• mutualization
• mutualize
• mutually
• mutual masturbation
• mutualness
• mutual savings bank
• mutual society
• mutual tidal locking
• mutual understanding
• mutual will
• nonmutual
• transmutual
• unmutual

Translations

having the same relationship, each to each other

• Arabic: مُتَبَادَل (mutabādal)
• Armenian: փոխադարձ (hy) (pʻoxadarj)
• Asturian: mutuu
• Azerbaijani: ortaq
• Bashkir: үҙ-ара (öð-ara), уртаҡ (ortaq)
• Catalan: mutu
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 相互 (zh) (xiānghù)

• Czech: vzájemný (cs) m
• Danish: gensidig
• Dutch: wederzijds (nl)
• Esperanto: reciproka
• Finnish: keskinäinen (fi), molemminpuolinen (fi)
• French: mutuel (fr)
• Galician: mutuo (gl)
• Georgian: ორმხრივი (ormxrivi), ურთიერთზიარი (urtiertziari), თანაზიარი (tanaziari)
• German: wechselseitig (de), gegenseitig (de), beiderseitig (de)
• Greek: αμοιβαίος (el) (amoivaíos), κοινός (el) (koinós)
• Hungarian: kölcsönös (hu)
• Icelandic: gagnkvæmur
• Ingrian: keskinäin
• Italian: mutuo (it), vicendevole (it)
• Japanese: 相互 (ja) (そうご, sōgo), 互いの (ja) (たがいの, tagai no)
• Korean: 서로의 (ko) (seoroui)
• Latin: mūtuus
• Macedonian: за́емен m (záemen), меѓу́себен m (meǵúseben)
• Malayalam: പരസ്പര (ml) (paraspara)
• Norwegian: gjensidig (no)
• Polish: wzajemny (pl) m
• Portuguese: mútuo (pt)
• Romanian: mutual (ro) m or n, reciproc (ro) m or n
• Russian: взаи́мный (ru) (vzaímnyj)
• Sanskrit: अन्योन्य (sa) (anyonya)
• Spanish: mutuo (es), mutual (es)
• Swedish: ömsesidig (sv)
• Turkish: ortak (tr)
• Ukrainian: взає́мний (vzajémnyj)

reciprocal

• Armenian: փոխադարձ (hy) (pʻoxadarj), անդրադարձ (hy) (andradarj)
• Bashkir: үҙ-ара (öð-ara)
• Bulgarian: взаимен (bg) (vzaimen)
• Danish: gensidig
• Esperanto: reciproka
• Finnish: keskinäinen (fi), molemminpuolinen (fi), vastavuoroinen (fi)
• French: mutuel (fr)
• Georgian: თანაზიარი (tanaziari), ორმხრივი (ormxrivi)
• German: wechselseitig (de), gegenseitig (de)
• Greek: αμοιβαίος (el) (amoivaíos), αλληλοπαθής (el) (allilopathís)
• Hungarian: ellenoldali
• Icelandic: gagnkvæmur
• Italian: reciproco (it), vicendevole (it)
• Latin: mutuus
• Lithuanian: savitarpinis
• Macedonian: за́емен m (záemen), меѓу́себен m (meǵúseben)
• Norwegian: gjensidig (no)
• Polish: obopólny (pl) m, wzajemny (pl) m
• Portuguese: recíproco (pt)
• Romanian: reciproc (ro) m or n
• Russian: взаи́мный (ru) (vzaímnyj), обою́дный (ru) (obojúdnyj)
• Spanish: recíproco (es), mutual (es)
• Turkish: karşılıklı (tr)
• Ukrainian: взає́мний (vzajémnyj), обопі́льний (obopílʹnyj)

possessed in common

• Bashkir: уртаҡ (ortaq)
• Bulgarian: общ (bg) (obšt), съвместен (bg) (săvmesten)
• Catalan: mutu
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 共同 (zh) (gòngtóng)

• Danish: fælles
• Esperanto: komuna
• Finnish: yhteinen (fi)
• Georgian: საზიარო (saziaro)
• German: gemeinsam (de), gemeinschaftlich (de), Gemeinschafts- (de)
• Greek: κοινός (el) (koinós)
• Icelandic: sameiginlegur (is)
• Italian: vicendevole (it)
• Macedonian: зае́днички m (zaédnički)
• Norwegian: felles (no)
• Polish: wspólny (pl) m
• Portuguese: mútuo (pt)
• Russian: о́бщий (ru) (óbščij)
• Turkish: ortak (tr)
• Ukrainian: спі́льний (uk) (spílʹnyj)

relating to a form of mutual insurance or financial institution

• Bulgarian: взаимен (bg) (vzaimen)
• Finnish: keskinäinen (fi)
• French: mutuel (fr)
• German: gegenseitig (de)
• Greek: αμοιβαίος (el) (amoivaíos)
• Hungarian: közös (hu)
• Irish: frithpháirteach
• Russian: обою́дный (ru) (obojúdnyj)
• Turkish: ortak (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Scottish Gaelic: ^{(please verify)} eadar-iomlaideach

Noun

mutual (plural mutuals)

1. A mutual fund.
2. (business, finance, insurance) A mutual organization.
3. (Internet) Either of a pair of people who follow each other's social media accounts.

   Synonym: moot

Translations

mutual fund — see mutual fund

mutual organization — see mutual organization

mutual follower

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 互關 / 互关 (zh) (hùguān), 壺關 / 壶关 (zh) (húguān)

Anagrams

• umlaut

Catalan

Etymology

From French mutuel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [mu.tuˈal]

Adjective

mutual m or f (masculine and feminine plural mutuals)

1. mutual

   Synonym: mutu

Derived terms

• mutualisme
• mutualista
• mutualitat
• mutualitzar

Further reading

• “mutual”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French mutuel. By surface analysis, mutuu + -al.

Adjective

mutual m or n (feminine singular mutuală, masculine plural mutuali, feminine/neuter plural mutuale)

1. reciprocal

Declension

Declension of mutual

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	mutual		mutuală	mutuali	mutuale
	definite	mutualul		mutuala	mutualii	mutualele
genitive- dative	indefinite	mutual		mutuale	mutuali	mutuale
	definite	mutualului		mutualei	mutualilor	mutualelor

Related terms

• mutualism
• mutualitate

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /muˈtwal/ [muˈt̪wal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: mu‧tual

Adjective

mutual m or f (masculine and feminine plural mutuales)

1. mutual

   Synonym: mutuo

Derived terms

• mutualidad

Noun

mutual m or f by sense (plural mutuales or mutuals)

1. (social media) mutual

Further reading

• “mutual”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025