mercantilist

[mur-kuhn-til-ist, -teel-ist, -tahyl-ist]

adjective

1. supporting or reflecting the mercantile system; promoting economic protectionism or the aggressive pursuit of a favorable balance of trade.

2. embracing the attitudes and values of commercialism.

noun

1. a person who favors the principles of the mercantile system.

2. a person who embraces the attitudes and values of commercialism.

Example Sentences

We do have a clearer idea of Trump's global ideology, one that is not isolationist but mercantilist, hoping optimistically that capitalism can overcome conflict.

From BBC

With no prior experience in the military or government, Mr. Trump brought a transactional, mercantilist attitude to interactions with allies.

From New York Times

Critics say China has gained an edge in key industries with mercantilist policies supporting domestic firms in the global marketplace.

From Washington Times

Critics say the administration should be doing more to call out China’s more mercantilist approach to the continent, one whose single-minded focus on money hurts African recipients in other ways.

From Washington Times

Scholz will be traveling alongside a delegation of business leaders, and the economic emphasis strikes some observers as worrying — a little too similar to former chancellor Angela Merkel’s mercantilist approach to foreign policy, which cemented Germany’s reliance on cheap Russian energy and left Berlin painfully exposed when relations with Moscow deteriorated over the war in Ukraine.

From Washington Post