commodify

as in to exploit
disapproving to treat (something that cannot be owned or that everyone has a right to) like a product that can be bought and sold Do we really want to commodify our water supply? I feel like our culture is being commodified.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 commodify This refers to the societal tendency to commodify every aspect of life, often to the detriment of authenticity and human connection. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024 Critics argue these policies effectively commodify citizenship, potentially undermining social cohesion. David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024 And the logic of marketing dictates that dating apps commodify people into legible archetypes for an easy sale. Josh Greenblatt, WIRED, 17 July 2024 Will the drive to commodify ancient practices defile them? Oshan Jarow, Vox, 7 June 2024 See All Example Sentences for commodify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commodify
Verb
  • Next-Gen Anti-Ransomware Protection—Preemptive And Resilient Security Despite AV and EDR advancements, modern ransomware tactics—including encryption bypass and stealthy execution—continue to exploit gaps in endpoint defenses.
    Bob Kruse, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Second, the chairman has exploited the commission's powers to undermine the very First Amendment rights it is supposed to uphold.
    Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The book’s vivid digital art, collaged from her own photographs and manipulated in Photoshop, helped children connect with science and nature in new ways.
    Kaitlyn Gomez, USA Today, 1 May 2025
  • Meaning, that European standards of living or dressing were never truly embraced or replicated but rather adopted and manipulated.
    Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • After the show premiered, actress Amber Dixon Brenner alleged in a lawsuit that Akil’s husband, Salim, had abused her over the course of their previously unknown, decade-long extramarital affair.
    Jazmine Hughes, Vulture, 2 May 2025
  • In an August 2020 filing, Sura, said Abrego Garcia had kicked and slapped her, as well as verbally abused her.
    Amanda Castro Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a blueprint for the new conservative administration, suggested the weather service fully commercialize its forecasting operations, leaving private weather companies to provide forecasting.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • One of his postgraduate students has since commercialized the approach to rare earth elements.
    Stephanie Hanes, Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Commodify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commodify. Accessed 6 May. 2025.

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