commodify

verb

com·​mod·​i·​fy kə-ˈmä-də-ˌfī 

commodified; commodifying

transitive verb

: to turn (something, such as an intrinsic value or a work of art) into a commodity

… tech behemoths who rob us of much of our personal information and then commodify and sell that information …

—Denny May

commodification

kə-ˌmä-də-fə-ˈkā-shən 

noun

Examples of commodify in a Sentence

Do we really want to commodify our water supply?

I feel like our culture is being commodified.

Recent Examples on the Web

Prediction market platforms have exploded in popularity in recent years, facing condemnation from lawmakers and others who argue the sites commodify human suffering and, in some cases, incentivize wrongdoing. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Model improvements may commodify quickly. — James Broughel, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

Or will the troves of data being amassed on nonhuman animals be used to further commodify and objectify them? — David Gruber, Time, 24 Apr. 2025

Publicis and other advertising firms argue that these new AI tools makes marketing more relevant to customers and less wasteful, but regulators — particularly in Europe — remain wary of systems that commodify vast amounts of personal data. — Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see commodity

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for commodify

• acidify
• alveoli
• antinomy
• areolae
• demystify
• detoxify
• disqualify
• diversify
• electrify
• exemplify
• fasciculi
• identify