commercial

[ kuh-mur-shuhl ]
See synonyms for commercial on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of commerce.

  2. engaged in commerce.

  1. prepared, done, or acting with sole or chief emphasis on salability, profit, or success: a commercial product; His attitude toward the theater is very commercial.

  2. able to yield or make a profit: We decided that the small oil well was not commercial.

  3. suitable or fit for a wide, popular market: Communications satellites are gradually finding a commercial use.

  4. suitable for or catering to business rather than private use: commercial kitchen design; commercial refrigeration.

  5. (of a vehicle or its use)

    • engaged in transporting passengers or goods for profit.

    • civilian and public, as distinguished from military or private.

  6. not entirely or chemically pure: commercial soda.

  7. catering especially to traveling salespeople by offering reduced rates, space for exhibiting products, etc.: a commercial hotel.

  8. (in U.S. government grading of beef) graded between standard and utility.

  9. paid for by advertisers: commercial television.

noun
  1. Radio and Television. a paid advertisement or promotional announcement.

  2. (in U.S. government grading of beef)

    • a low-quality grade of beef between standard and utility.

    • a cut of beef of this grade.

  1. British Informal. a traveling salesperson.

Origin of commercial

1
First recorded in 1680–90; commerce + -ial

synonym study For commercial

1. Commercial, mercantile refer to the activities of business, industry, and trade. Commercial is the broader term, covering all the activities and relationships of industry and trade. In a derogatory sense it may mean such a preoccupation with the affairs of commerce as results in indifference to considerations other than wealth: commercial treaties; a merely commercial viewpoint. Mercantile applies to the purchase and sale of goods, or to the transactions of business: a mercantile house or class.

Other words from commercial

  • com·mer·cial·ly, adverb
  • an·ti·com·mer·cial, adjective
  • an·ti·com·mer·cial·ly, adverb
  • an·ti·com·mer·cial·ness, noun
  • coun·ter·com·mer·cial, adjective
  • non·com·mer·cial, adjective, noun
  • non·com·mer·cial·ly, adverb
  • pre·com·mer·cial, adjective
  • pro·com·mer·cial, adjective
  • qua·si-com·mer·cial, adjective
  • qua·si-com·mer·cial·ly, adverb
  • sem·i·com·mer·cial, adjective
  • sem·i·com·mer·cial·ly, adverb
  • su·per·com·mer·cial, adjective
  • su·per·com·mer·cial·ly, adverb
  • ul·tra·com·mer·cial, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use commercial in a sentence

  • Semicommercial paper-making tests were conducted, therefore, on hemp hurds, in cooperation with a paper manufacturer.

    Hemp Hurds as Paper-Making Material | Lyster H. Dewey and Jason L. Merrill

British Dictionary definitions for commercial

commercial

/ (kəˈmɜːʃəl) /


adjective
  1. of, connected with, or engaged in commerce; mercantile

  2. sponsored or paid for by an advertiser: commercial television

  1. having profit as the main aim: commercial music

  2. (of goods, chemicals, etc) of unrefined quality or presentation and produced in bulk for use in industry

noun
  1. a commercially sponsored advertisement on radio or television

Derived forms of commercial

  • commerciality (kəˌmɜːʃɪˈælɪtɪ), noun
  • commercially, adverb

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