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
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Recent Examples of commodify
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
But the pursuit of online fame, particularly through Instagram, has supercharged the often toxic phenomenon, The Times found, encouraging parents to commodify their children’s images.
—Michael H. Keller, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for commodify
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
But the pursuit of online fame, particularly through Instagram, has supercharged the often toxic phenomenon, The Times found, encouraging parents to commodify their children’s images.
—Michael H. Keller, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for commodify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commodify
Verb
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The Diamondbacks stole five bases in four innings, exploiting Cabrera’s deliberate delivery to the plate.—
Isaac Azout,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2025
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At Coachella, defaults are rare, but the $4 million fee haul shows promoters profit handsomely, raising ethical questions about exploiting fans’ FOMO.—
Jack Kelly,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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It could be manipulated by the therapist or simply placed in the correct position by the individual.—
Matt Parrott,
Arkansas Online,
20 Apr. 2025
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These are powers that many politicians – including, currently, U.S. President Donald Trump – would seemingly like to control or at least manipulate.—
Ana Carolina Garriga,
The Conversation,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The ways in which these attackers have abused Google’s email system clearly needs to be patched.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
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Donald Trump is abusing the levers of government to launch an attack against New York Attorney General Tish James on what seem to be pretty flimsy claims of fraud.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Here's why The filing details the company's focus on developing and commercializing genomic tests, particularly the MSC test for lung nodules and the StemPrintER test for breast cancer.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
3 Apr. 2025
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On the other end of the spectrum are a handful of companies that are trying to commercialize designs that have been extensively studied in the academic world.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commodify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commodify. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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