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
  • Whether climate denial, corporate lobbying or inequitable wealth distribution, our systems often reward those who can exploit the system without regard for their impact on long-term system health.
    Maureen Metcalf, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
  • Only in these areas will humanitarian aid be provided—by an American company under direct Israeli security arrangements—to avoid previous distribution arrangements that were exploited by Hamas.
    Assaf Orion, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2025
Verb
  • Not possessed of any special abilities, Achebe instead manipulates his ways into political power in Wakanda.
    Michileen Martin, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
  • Deepfakes are manipulated images, audio recordings, or videos of real people that have been altered with artificial intelligence to misrepresent someone as saying or doing something that the person did not actually say or do.
    Alain Sherter, CBS News, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • Three-time gold medal sprinter Gabby Thomas was verbally abused at a track meet in Philadelphia, not the first harassment this year.
    Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2025
  • In 2011, Gilbert developed pancreatitis after years of abusing drugs and alcohol.
    Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • The news The drugmaker announced a licensing deal with Germany's BioNTech to jointly develop and commercialize the latter's experimental cancer therapy known as BNT327.
    Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 2 June 2025
  • The technology is being commercialized via MIT spinoff company Propel Aero.
    Ben Coxworth June 02, New Atlas, 2 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Commodify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commodify. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.

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