as in greed
disapproving
the practice or attitude of placing an excessive emphasis on earning money, making a profit, or buying goods
the increasing commercialism of the Christmas holiday She decried the commercialism of modern society where objects of purely artistic value were often ignored.
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Recent Examples of commercialism
German football fans have a deep, entrenched distrust of commercialism and their protests, such as disrupting games by throwing tennis balls onto the pitch, were so sustained that the investor deal was eventually abandoned.
—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
In this way, Bert and his wife Hiroko’s entire home, traditional Japanese farmhouse and the unique art that fills basements and attics exists in defiance of commercialism.
—Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
American malls were once the mecca of commercialism.
—Neil Strebig, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 25 Feb. 2026
These firms now pay their rainmakers like Wall Street stars and have dropped their courtly scruples for relentless commercialism.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for commercialism
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
In this way, Bert and his wife Hiroko’s entire home, traditional Japanese farmhouse and the unique art that fills basements and attics exists in defiance of commercialism.
—Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
American malls were once the mecca of commercialism.
—Neil Strebig, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 25 Feb. 2026
These firms now pay their rainmakers like Wall Street stars and have dropped their courtly scruples for relentless commercialism.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for commercialism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commercialism
Noun
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His fragile starman is a strange, complex being navigating his way through Earth’s obstacles, including love, lust, addiction, greed, and ambition in his plight to save his planet and survive the chaos caused by his arrival.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
29 May 2026
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Crichton goes to a lot of effort to give plausible explanation to the harvesting and recombination of dinosaur DNA, and the mistakes that the involved human beings make are ones of ego, greed, and—more or less—neglecting to double-check their homework before turning it in.—
Ian Mackenzie,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
Noun
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This is a guy who could write these incredibly bigoted figures, and then also write this really searing indictment of American materialism.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
19 Apr. 2026
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The book is a Christian parable, pitting faith against 20th-century materialism.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Shot in Scope, filled with intimate closeups of the couple, the film lets the audience experience the same upsetting jolt as Gil over Jacques’ desire for control and toxic possessiveness.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
16 May 2026
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Ménochet is a scary wonder as Marc, a great bear of a man who is chillingly adept at hiding his rage and possessiveness under the guise of a gentle, enlightened ascetic.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Commercialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commercialism. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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