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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of commodify
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.
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Michael H. Keller, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024
The play isn’t subtle in presenting its allegory of national racial dysfunction—the white family’s self-absorption in the face of Black suffering, and their swift move to commodify it—but Jacobs-Jenkins’s dramatic machinery is often immensely effective.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2023
The five young women in the group must navigate the dark side of a glamorous industry determined to commodify them.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Feb. 2023
Candyman is the most disappointing film of the year so far, limning not only the artistic failures of the individuals who ushered it to life, but the artistic failures of an entire industry that seeks to commodify Blackness to embolden its bottom line.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2021
See all Example Sentences for commodify 
Michael H. Keller, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024
The play isn’t subtle in presenting its allegory of national racial dysfunction—the white family’s self-absorption in the face of Black suffering, and their swift move to commodify it—but Jacobs-Jenkins’s dramatic machinery is often immensely effective.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2023
The five young women in the group must navigate the dark side of a glamorous industry determined to commodify them.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Feb. 2023
Candyman is the most disappointing film of the year so far, limning not only the artistic failures of the individuals who ushered it to life, but the artistic failures of an entire industry that seeks to commodify Blackness to embolden its bottom line.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2021
See all Example Sentences for commodify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commodify
Verb
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Despite this, the U.S. and its partners aim to ensure that the Islamic State (IS) group, which still has a presence in Syria, cannot exploit the leadership void and once again exert control over wide swaths of the country.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
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Regular updates often include security patches that protect against vulnerabilities that scammers might exploit.Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, Fox News, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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But all of that changed starting in 2017, when Mr. Trump became president amid the F.B.I. investigation into Russia’s covert attempt to manipulate the 2016 election and the nature of the ties between his campaign and Moscow.Charlie Savage, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2024
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Symbolic capitalists—academics, commentators, lawyers, consultants—manipulate words or data rather than making things with their hands.Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The University of Chicago has long abused its architectural treasures.Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Dec. 2024
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On Tuesday, lawmakers approved a special counsel to investigate whether Yoon committed insurrection and abused his power by issuing martial law.Jessie Yeung, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The photos demonstrate how the durable utility fabric became a standard uniform and how brands like Levi’s, Lee, OshKosh and Carhartt commercialized the timeless style.Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 16 Dec. 2024
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The base platform has been under development for many years, commercialized as the Rotunbot RT-G through a company called Logon Technology.New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Commodify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commodify. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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