commercial

[ kuh-mur-shuh l ]

/ kəˈmɜr ʃəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR commercial ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of commerce.

engaged in commerce.

prepared, done, or acting with sole or chief emphasis on salability, profit, or success: a commercial product; His attitude toward the theater is very commercial.

able to yield or make a profit: We decided that the small oil well was not commercial.

suitable or fit for a wide, popular market: Communications satellites are gradually finding a commercial use.

suitable for or catering to business rather than private use: commercial kitchen design; commercial refrigeration.

(of a vehicle or its use)

engaged in transporting passengers or goods for profit.
civilian and public, as distinguished from military or private.

not entirely or chemically pure: commercial soda.

catering especially to traveling salespeople by offering reduced rates, space for exhibiting products, etc.: a commercial hotel.

(in U.S. government grading of beef) graded between standard and utility.

paid for by advertisers: commercial television.

noun

Radio and Television. a paid advertisement or promotional announcement.

(in U.S. government grading of beef)

a low-quality grade of beef between standard and utility.
a cut of beef of this grade.

British Informal. a traveling salesperson.

Nearby words

Origin of commercial

First recorded in 1680–90; commerce + -ial

Related forms

com·mer·cial·ly, adverban·ti·com·mer·cial, adjectivean·ti·com·mer·cial·ly, adverban·ti·com·mer·cial·ness, noun

coun·ter·com·mer·cial, adjectivenon·com·mer·cial, adjective, nounnon·com·mer·cial·ly, adverbpre·com·mer·cial, adjectivepro·com·mer·cial, adjectivequa·si-com·mer·cial, adjectivequa·si-com·mer·cial·ly, adverbsem·i·com·mer·cial, adjectivesem·i·com·mer·cial·ly, adverbsu·per·com·mer·cial, adjectivesu·per·com·mer·cial·ly, adverbul·tra·com·mer·cial, adjective

Synonym study

1. Commercial, mercantile refer to the activities of business, industry, and trade. Commercial is the broader term, covering all the activities and relationships of industry and trade. In a derogatory sense it may mean such a preoccupation with the affairs of commerce as results in indifference to considerations other than wealth: commercial treaties; a merely commercial viewpoint. Mercantile applies to the purchase and sale of goods, or to the transactions of business: a mercantile house or class.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for commercial

These days weather should never cause a commercial airliner to crash.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501|Clive Irving|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Both high fashion and the fast, commercial fashion of Target are supposed to be about aspiration.
One Vogue Cover Doesn’t Solve Fashion’s Big Race Problem|Danielle Belton|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Then the commercial weight loss behemoths Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig joined this crowded field.
Why Your New Year’s Diet Will Fail|Carrie Arnold|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nor should we ever assume that weather alone, however extreme, should be fatal to a commercial flight.
Did Bad Weather Bring Down AirAsia 8501?|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The technology exists to keep us from ever losing a commercial airliner over open seas ever again.
Red Tape and Black Boxes: Why We Keep ‘Losing’ Airliners in 2014|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For commercial purposes the English method of making the spawn into bricks has some advantages over the French "flake" process.
Student's Hand-book of Mushrooms of America, Edible and Poisonous|Thomas Taylor
Mr. Butler, for all his commercial and political responsibility, was as much a child to her as any.
The Financier|Theodore Dreiser
Commercial samples of linseed oil, when cold-drawn, have a much higher iodine absorption, probably due to the same cause.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 717, September 28, 1889|Various
By these two treaties all the lands east of Fort Snelling were opened to settlement and commercial exploitation.
Old Fort Snelling|Marcus L. Hansen
He had been brought up a commercial man, and until lately held to the free trade principles of commercial men.
Reminiscences of a Canadian Pioneer for the last Fifty Years|Samuel Thompson

British Dictionary definitions for commercial

commercial

/ (kəˈmɜːʃəl) /

adjective

of, connected with, or engaged in commerce; mercantile

sponsored or paid for by an advertisercommercial television

having profit as the main aimcommercial music

(of goods, chemicals, etc) of unrefined quality or presentation and produced in bulk for use in industry

noun

a commercially sponsored advertisement on radio or television

Derived Formscommerciality (kəˌmɜːʃɪˈælɪtɪ), nouncommercially, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for commercial

commercial

adj.

1680s, "pertaining to trade," from commerce + -al (1). Meaning "paid for by advertisements" (in reference to radio, TV, etc.) is from 1932; meaning "done for the sake of financial profit" (of art, etc.) is from 1871. Related: Commercially.

commercial

"an advertisement broadcast on radio or TV," 1935, from commercial (adj.).

commercial

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of commercial

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for commercial

commercial

adjective

noun

commercial

commercial