commercial

1 of 2

adjective

com·​mer·​cial kə-ˈmər-shəl 

1

a(1)

: occupied with or engaged in commerce or work intended for commerce

a commercial artist

(2)

: of or relating to commerce

commercial regulations

commercial services

(3)

: characteristic of commerce

commercial weights

(4)

: suitable, adequate, or prepared for commerce

found oil in commercial quantities

b(1)

: being of an average or inferior quality

commercial oxalic acid

show-quality versus commercial cattle

(2)

: producing artistic work of low standards for quick market success

2

a

: viewed with regard to profit

a commercial success

of no commercial value

b

: designed for a large market

commercial coffee production

3

: emphasizing skills and subjects useful in business

a commercial school

4

: supported by advertisers

commercial TV

commerciality

kə-ˌmər-shē-ˈa-lə-tē 

noun

commercially

kə-ˈmər-sh(ə-)lē 

adverb

commercial

2 of 2

noun

plural commercials

: an advertisement included with another broadcast (as on radio, television, or a podcast)

Synonyms

Adjective

• corporate

Examples of commercial in a Sentence

Adjective

Their music is too commercial.

The average American sees and hears thousands of commercial messages each day.

Noun

a commercial for a new kind of soap

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Singh then obtained a commercial driver’s license in the state of California. —Elainie Barraza, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Aug. 2025

Meanwhile, there are vast numbers of people who would like to put together songs from clips and samples, either for their own amusement or for commercial reasons. —Trevor Clawson, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025

Noun

But in these showings, it has always been paired with commercials — not in its complete, widescreen, uninterrupted glory. —Rance Collins, IndieWire, 2 Aug. 2025

Now that Project Runway is on Freeform, episodes are back to being an hour long with commercials, which cuts them down to 42ish minutes. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see commerce entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing commercial

• anti-commercial
• commercial announcement
• commercial bank
• commercial break
• commercial paper
• commercial traveler
• ultra-commercial

Rhymes for commercial

• inertial
• controversial
• noncommercial
• noncontroversial
• uncontroversial

Kids Definition

commercial

1 of 2 adjective

com·​mer·​cial kə-ˈmər-shəl 

1

: of or relating to commerce

2

: designed mainly for profit

especially : designed for mass appeal

the commercial theater

3

: paid for by advertisers

commercial TV

commercially

-ˈmərsh-(ə-)lē 

adverb

commercial

2 of 2 noun

: an advertisement broadcast on radio or television

Legal Definition

commercial

adjective

com·​mer·​cial

: of or relating to commerce

commercial regulations

commercially adverb