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 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 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 See All Example Sentences for commodify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commodify
Verb
  • This hypothetical No 9 would push opposition back lines towards their own goal, giving further space for Fernandes and other team-mates to exploit.
    Carl Anka, New York Times, 16 June 2025
  • The farmer may lack the experience and capital, or otherwise, to exploit that potential commercial use.
    Peter J Reilly, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
Verb
  • But the lesson of the ’74 Act is clear: Absent congressional will, lawmakers inevitably will find ways to manipulate their own rules to make deficits even worse.
    Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
  • Our Senate and representatives are all manipulating their own power rather than running the country.
    Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • Federal employees widely abused the Biden administration‘s telework policies, according to an inspector general report released by the Office of Personnel Management on Friday.
    Haisten Willis, The Washington Examiner, 20 June 2025
  • In the procedural drama, Rodríguez brings to life a multi-layered and solemn character shaped by a traumatic childhood — abused within the foster care system, with no knowledge of his origins, and struggling with severe dyslexia.
    Veronica Villafañe, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • Steele told me how witnessing this coming of Victory is a guide to ownership in hip-hop culture, as most acts of that era were not necessarily privy on exactly how to commercialize their real rap.
    Ime Ekpo, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
  • One of the largest assets is Buffett’s stake in Margaritaville, the chain of restaurants, bars, hotels and merchandising that commercialized the Buffett lifestyle.
    Robert Frank, CNBC, 13 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Commodify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commodify. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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