commodification

American  

[kuh-mod-uh-fi-key-shuhn] / kəˌmɒd ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or fact of turning something into an item that can be bought and sold.

   The commodification of water means that access is available only to those who can pay.

2. the act or fact of exploiting a person or thing for profit.

   Some of the tourism to developing countries risks becoming a commodification of culture and poverty.

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Etymology

Origin of commodification

commod(ity) ( def. ) + -i- ( def. ) + -fication ( def. )

Example Sentences

Habermas critiqued what he saw as the commodification of mass media and entertainment, arguing that a mass-produced culture destroys critical public debate.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

The commodification of human newborns is striking in comparison.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025

And it’s exactly this cheeky, palatable, available-in-child-sizes commodification that exposes the true horror for those it targets: There will be no empathy, no change of heart, no seeing of the light.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 27, 2025

But that was the inevitable result of where we have been heading for decades now because of this kind of commodification of the idea of speech.

From Slate • Nov. 18, 2024

Again, though, it is useful to put the commodification of gangsta culture in proper perspective.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander