commodify

[ kuh-mod-uh-fahy ]

verb (used with object)

, com·mod·i·fied, com·mod·i·fy·ing.

1. to turn into a commodity; make commercial.
2. to treat as if a commodity.

commodify

/ kəˈmɒdɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. tr to treat (something) inappropriately as if it can be acquired or marketed like other commodities

   you can't commodify art

Derived Forms

• comˌmodifiˈcation, noun

Other Words From

• com·mod·i·fi·a·ble [k, uh, -mod-, uh, -, fahy, -, uh, -b, uh, l], adjective
• com·mod·i·fi·ca·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of commodify¹

First recorded in 1975–80; commod(ity) ( def ) + -ify ( def )

Example Sentences

“George is fascinated by the delivery of disaster via spectacle; the way disaster becomes commodified is obviously one of his obsessions,” Nathan said.

From Los Angeles Times

In a world where feminism is often co-opted and commodified, Love would probably emphasize the importance of maintaining authenticity and staying true to one's convictions.

From Salon

But that attention to once overlooked neighborhoods has pushed up rents, leaving artists, fans and local officials with a quandary: What happens after the street art that brought character becomes commodified?

From New York Times

The pursuit of online fame, particularly through Instagram, has supercharged the often toxic phenomenon, The Times found, encouraging parents to commodify their daughter’s images.

From New York Times

Outside it, too, the sense that everything can be content — that all of our lives can be curated and commodified for the consumption of others — has become something close to a guiding ideology.

From New York Times