commercialism

[ kuh-mur-shuh-liz-uhm ]

noun

1. the principles, practices, and spirit of commerce.
2. a commercial attitude in noncommercial affairs; inappropriate or excessive emphasis on profit, success, or immediate results.
3. a commercial custom or expression.

commercialism

/ kəˈmɜːʃəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the spirit, principles, or procedure of commerce
2. exclusive or inappropriate emphasis on profit

Derived Forms

• comˈmercialist, noun
• comˌmerciaˈlistic, adjective

Other Words From

• com·mercial·ist noun
• com·mercial·istic adjective
• anti·com·mercial·ism noun
• anti·com·mercial·ist noun adjective
• anti·com·mercial·istic adjective
• super·com·mercial·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of commercialism¹

commercial + -ism

Example Sentences

"This binary of Jefferson versus Hamilton, agrarianism versus commercialism, is woven into America's political fabric: red or blue, liberal or conservative," Caivano said.

From Salon

The crass commercialism of “Republicans buy sneakers too” coupled with Jordan’s squeaky-clean image made him the perfect pitchman for a pre-WTO protest, pre-9/11, pre-Trump age of American optimism – the last days of faith that America could escape the clutches of history.

From Salon

Love would probably still disagree with this characterization, as she did in the lyrics to “Rock Star” that explicitly made fun of riot grrrl by arguing that their template for activism was just as guilty of cookie-cutter sameness as the crass commercialism the movement was hoping to defy: “Well I went to school in Olympia, ya, ya, ya / And everyone’s the same.”

From Salon

There was a bit of irony in Lennox’s performance: In 1991, the year that O’Connor won the Grammy for best alternative music performance — for the album “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,” which featured “Nothing Compares 2 U” — she boycotted the ceremony over what she called the show’s excessive commercialism.

From New York Times

They despised its commercialism and dreaded the prospect of future films about Mattel properties such as Barney and American Girl dolls.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• commerce
• deal
• dealings
• exchange
• industry
• manufacturing
• market
• sales
• selling
• trade
• traffic
• transaction