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Synonyms

commercial art

American  
[kuh-mur-shuhl ahrt] / kəˈmɜr ʃəl ˈɑrt /

noun

  1. graphic art created specifically for commercial uses, especially for advertising, illustrations in magazines or books, or the like.

commercial art British  

noun

  1. graphic art for commercial uses such as advertising, packaging, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • commercial artist noun

Etymology

Origin of commercial art

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Ms Sood stresses that Khoj operates outside the commercial art world, offering young and mid-career artists a space to explore, experiment, and "even fail if they have to".

From BBC • Oct. 10, 2025

“We don’t operate in this realm of exclusivity and scarcity, which is inherent in the commercial art world today.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 29, 2024

Rather than commercial art galleries or performance spaces run for profit, Station Space targets community organizations that provide artists a space to create.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 12, 2023

Though the booklets drew on her background in commercial art and have been compared to comic strips, they had a stranger tone and a deeper bite than the average cartoon.

From New York Times • Oct. 27, 2023

Adele was a registered nurse and also had an associate degree in commercial art.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.