Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

mass-market

American  
[mas-mahr-kit] / ˈmæsˈmɑr kɪt /
Or massmarket

adjective

  1. (of products) produced and distributed in large quantities and intended to appeal to the widest range of consumers.


verb (used with object)

  1. to produce and distribute to the widest range of consumers.

mass-market British  

adjective

  1. of, for, or appealing to a large number of people; popular

    mass-market paperbacks

"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

Etymology

Origin of mass-market

First recorded in 1950–55

Compare meaning

How does mass-market compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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.

See Examples For:

For their part, the mass-market carmaker's executives say they are trying to adapt to the "reality" of stiff global competition.

From Barron's Aug. 16, 2026

Adoption of e-readers like the Kindle and Kobo didn’t replace physical books; and despite the shuttering of mass-market chains like Borders, Waldenbooks and B. Dalton, the last 30 years have seen a reading boom.

From Salon Jul. 23, 2026

Rather than selling mass-market step counters, they market premium products that synthesize biometrics like heart rate variability and skin temperature into actionable outputs: early illness warnings, recovery scores and training recommendations.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 12, 2026

Some analysts now expect prices for the next console generation to approach $1,000, turning a mass-market product into a luxury purchase.

From MarketWatch Jun. 8, 2026

That preoccupation has diminished somewhat—or been sublimated— in recent years as we have subscribed to an all-purpose, mass-market version of the American dream, but it hasn’t entirely disappeared.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training