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
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
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The musical reimagines the Greek myths while ruminating on greed, labor and love.—
Domenica Bongiovanni,
IndyStar,
25 Mar. 2026
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The families of Anderson and Carlson are suing Harris County, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and LaSalle Corrections, alleging medical negligence and corporate greed led to the two men's deaths.—
Caroline Wilburn,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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Carmen grows tired of Don José’s possessiveness and returns to Seville alone to reunite with her lover Escamillo, the bullfighter.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Commercialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commercialism. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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