commercialism

noun

com·​mer·​cial·​ism kə-ˈmər-shə-ˌli-zəm How to pronounce commercialism (audio)
1
: commercial spirit, institutions, or methods
2
: excessive emphasis on profit
commercialist noun
commercialistic adjective

Examples of commercialism in a Sentence

the commercialism of modern society the increasing commercialism of the Christmas holiday
Recent Examples on the Web
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The less that can be said, the more likely the same things will be said, taking us from commercialism to conformity all before the actual reviews are ground down to feed a Rotten Tomatoes score (which is, I’m told, what people really value). Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025 Every February and September, when the event takes place, critics and showgoers bemoan that the entire affair is strangled by commercialism and limping toward irrelevance. Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025 Such a move would never be tolerated or accepted by a footballing environment that remains deeply suspicious of commercialism and militantly on guard against any move in that direction. Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025 Over the course of six seasons and two movies, the show’s thrillingly cynical core got smothered by cloying commercialism—a fixation on both wide-eyed romance and flamboyant luxury. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 15 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for commercialism

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of commercialism was in 1849

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Cite this Entry

“Commercialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commercialism. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.

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