mercantilist
Americanadjective
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supporting or reflecting the mercantile system; promoting economic protectionism or the aggressive pursuit of a favorable balance of trade.
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embracing the attitudes and values of commercialism.
noun
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a person who favors the principles of the mercantile system.
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a person who embraces the attitudes and values of commercialism.
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.
After the first Gulf War, he points out, the U.S. “did not attempt to seize the region’s oil fields for itself, which would have been the classical mercantilist approach.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
China, once a glutton for goods made in Germany, has turned into a mercantilist superpower.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Meanwhile, Japan and the U.K. are accommodating America’s mercantilist behavior.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
In what ways were his actions guided by mercantilist theory?
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
From our past study of the commercial and colonial wars of the eighteenth century, especially those between France and Great Britain, we have already learned that mercantilist ideas were still dominant in foreign commerce.
From A Political and Social History of Modern Europe V.1. by Carlton J. H. Hayes
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