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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of commercialism
What Parents Like: The real insanity is letting cynicism and commercialism rule the day.
—
Suelain Moy, Parents, 14 Dec. 2025
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
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
Suelain Moy, Parents, 14 Dec. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commercialism
Noun
-
The film transgresses time to show how greed, faith, desire and the hunger for meaning repeat themselves.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2026
-
In the end, every survivor stands alone because what needs to heal is a soul shattered by the trivial evil of carnal greed, a pain so personal and unique even another survivor can’t fully understand it.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Crucially, however, there is another view onto Bove’s sculpture beyond the double illusionism of its oblique materialism and front-facing near-pictorialism.—
Gordon Hughes,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The scene offers a pitiless view of the sexism, and materialism, of the culture in which the girls were being raised.—
Mark Oppenheimer,
Vulture,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There’s a touch of possessiveness that comes out when Eloise refers to Sophie as her lady’s maid.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2026
-
In the film, Brack’s attraction to Hedda, investment in her material future, and his familiarity with her father are all underlined, and by the end feel like a mounting pressure of desire and possessiveness directed at her.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commercialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commercialism. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
