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.

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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 Or will the troves of data being amassed on nonhuman animals be used to further commodify and objectify them? David Gruber, Time, 24 Apr. 2025 Publicis and other advertising firms argue that these new AI tools makes marketing more relevant to customers and less wasteful, but regulators — particularly in Europe — remain wary of systems that commodify vast amounts of personal data. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025 If the sole aim of a company is to profit, extraction and exploitation become the norm as businesses seek new resources to commodify The theory of shareholder wealth maximization has, in recent years, been met with significant scrutiny. Aissa Dearing, JSTOR Daily, 9 Jan. 2025 Far from democratizing creativity, these projects frequently centralize authority and commodify the works of individual creators. Virginie Berger, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for commodify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commodify
Verb
  • As European nations—including France—maintained colonial rule, exploiting millions of people of color across the globe, Nardal wielded her writings as a weapon to challenge the global color line.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
  • There are reservations, though, about the intertwining of Christianity and conservative politics, and opportunistic politicians exploiting a movement to suit their agenda.
    Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Because Atlas reads web pages, malicious websites can manipulate it by hiding instructions in their code – a technique called prompt injection.
    The AI Insider, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Young’s ability to manipulate the pocket with his quickness and improvisational skills has helped keep the Panthers’ sack count low.
    Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Duffy has said that air traffic controllers who abuse their sick time during the shutdown could be fired.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
  • He is accused of luring a young girl into his van parked in the church’s parking lot or to the church’s basement to abuse the girl over and over during a seven-year period, according to the release.
    Ryanne Mena, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The biggest challenge for the authors to commercialize this into a product, however, is to solve whether this actually treats the disease-specific molecular features of common alopecias like male or female pattern alopecia.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
  • However, early last year, the company also mentioned porting the laser system to third-party satellites, representing a new way for SpaceX to commercialize Starlink technology.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Commodify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commodify. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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