infomercial

American  

[in-fuh-mur-shuhl, -foh-] / ˌɪn fəˈmɜr ʃəl, -foʊ- /

noun

Radio and Television.

1. a long commercial that informs or instructs, especially in an original and entertaining manner.

   an infomercial on making Christmas decorations using the sponsor's brand of glue.

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infomercial British  

/ ˌɪnfəˈmɜːʃəl /

noun

1. a short film, usually for television, which advertises a product or service in an informative way

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Etymology

Origin of infomercial

Blend of information and commercial

Example Sentences

US media has been less enthusiastic in its reviews, with The Atlantic calling the documentary a "disgrace" and the Variety trade magazine describing it as a "shameless infomercial."

From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026

One of the first was “American Gigolo,” a 1980 film that has often been compared to an infomercial for Armani menswear.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2025

Our ground-level view looked like something far more ordinary: a two-hour and 21-minute Blue Origin infomercial populated with a curated celebrity-heavy crew.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2025

But before life moved online, evolution from commercial to infomercial began in June 1941, when the somewhat newly created Federal Communications Commission lifted its 1938 ban on TV advertising.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2025

She was doing her pageant smile; she was every infomercial I’d ever seen, with me as the studio audience.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth