mercantile
adjective
mer·can·tile
ˈmər-kən-ˌtēl 
-ˌtī(-ə)l
1
: of or relating to merchants or trading
mercantile families
mercantile businesses
2
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of mercantilism
mercantile system
Examples of mercantile in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Gentile da Foligno in Perugia Italy was one of the few regions in Latin Christendom where physicians organized into guilds in the fourteenth century and thus routinely treated the general populace, rather than merely the wealthier mercantile and aristocratic classes.
—
Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
The bipartisan Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act would close the data broker loophole, and cut off this mercantile method for bulk collection of Americans’ data.
—Alexandra Reeve Givens, Time, 17 Mar. 2026
The young man was a quick study, learning the ins and outs of the mercantile and cigar trade and showing a keen business sense.
—Charlotte Brooks, Big Think, 13 Mar. 2026
From early history through the nineteenth century, city states, families, noble families, mercantile families and states regularly engaged in conflict over territory, trade routes and dynastic succession, and firms operated with the expectation that war risk was endemic.
—Radu Magdin, Forbes.com, 5 Mar. 2026
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Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
The bipartisan Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act would close the data broker loophole, and cut off this mercantile method for bulk collection of Americans’ data.
—Alexandra Reeve Givens, Time, 17 Mar. 2026
The young man was a quick study, learning the ins and outs of the mercantile and cigar trade and showing a keen business sense.
—Charlotte Brooks, Big Think, 13 Mar. 2026
From early history through the nineteenth century, city states, families, noble families, mercantile families and states regularly engaged in conflict over territory, trade routes and dynastic succession, and firms operated with the expectation that war risk was endemic.
—Radu Magdin, Forbes.com, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mercantile
Cite this Entry
“Mercantile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mercantile. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mercantile
adjective
mer·can·tile
ˈmər-kən-ˌtēl
-ˌtīl
: of or relating to merchants, trade, or commerce
mercantile businesses
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