commercial

American  

[kuh-mur-shuhl] / kəˈmɜr ʃəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of commerce.

2. engaged in commerce.

3. 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.

4. able to yield or make a profit.

   We decided that the small oil well was not commercial.

5. suitable or fit for a wide, popular market.

   Communications satellites are gradually finding a commercial use.

6. suitable for or catering to business rather than private use.

   commercial kitchen design; commercial refrigeration.

7. (of a vehicle or its use)

   1. engaged in transporting passengers or goods for profit.

   2. civilian and public, as distinguished from military or private.

8. not entirely or chemically pure.

   commercial soda.

9. catering especially to traveling salespeople by offering reduced rates, space for exhibiting products, etc..

   a commercial hotel.

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

11. paid for by advertisers.

    commercial television.

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noun

commercials plural

1. Radio and Television. a paid advertisement or promotional announcement.

2. (in U.S. government grading of beef )

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

   2. a cut of beef of this grade.

3. British Informal. a traveling salesperson.

commercial British  

/ kəˈmɜːʃəl, kəˌmɜːʃɪˈælɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of, connected with, or engaged in commerce; mercantile

2. sponsored or paid for by an advertiser

   commercial television

3. having profit as the main aim

   commercial music

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

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noun

1. a commercially sponsored advertisement on radio or television

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anticommercialness
  noun
• commerciality
  noun
• anticommercial
  adjective
• countercommercial
  adjective
• noncommercial
  adjective
• precommercial
  adjective
• procommercial
  adjective
• quasi-commercial
  adjective
• semicommercial
  adjective
• supercommercial
  adjective
• ultracommercial
  adjective
• anticommercially
  adverb
• commercially
  adverb
• noncommercially
  adverb
• quasi-commercially
  adverb
• semicommercially
  adverb
• supercommercially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• commercials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of commercial

First recorded in 1680–90; commerce + -ial

Explanation

Commercial is an adjective describing something with money-making and marketing intentions. If you’re a bit of a book snob, steer clear of commercial fiction, which is written for the widest enjoyment. The adjective commercial first appeared in the 1680’s, long before television commercials, which is probably what you think of when you hear the word. An al was added to commerce, and it meant "pertaining to trade." It wasn’t until the 1870's that commercial meant “done for the sake of financial profit,” and then later in the 1930's, the noun form was refined to describe “an advertisement broadcast on radio or TV.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

commercial commercials

With commercial tourism, social media and vlogging much of today’s world feels overexposed and overexplained, with seemingly every destination photographed, every experience reviewed and all hidden gems channeled into content.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

He said these were coming from the commercial sector, and were covered by a contract that was led by the government body NatureScot.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

“It’s more like a restaurant with nine open kitchens,” said Sean McBurney, the company’s chief commercial officer and Las Vegas regional president.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

McCraney, Geffen Playhouse’s artistic director, said forging a path forward in nonprofit theater without succumbing to commercial pressure to produce only guaranteed hits requires the delicate balance of surfing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

He even had the commercial smarts to form a film syndicate, based on the fame of his expedition photographer, an Australian named Frank Hurley.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Others enjoyed the fact that Telemundo did not cut away from commercials like Fox Sports, the official host broadcaster for FIFA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

It added if Eli Lilly did not voluntarily remove the commercials, it would file a motion in the coming days to seek a preliminary injunction to block them.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Rodrigo Leite of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro told AFP that public figures held more sway than traditional commercials, and that Brazilians needed better financial education.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

He compared the videos to fast-food commercials, where food can appear more appealing than it does in real life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

The speakers jumped between voices, commercials, and even a few old songs I recognized.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

Related Words

• economic
• financial
• monetary
• profit-making
• profitable
• wholesale