consumerism en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub- Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₁émeti Proto-Italic *emō Latin emō Latin sūmō Latin cōnsūmōder. Old French consumerbor. Middle English consumen English consume Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English consumer Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English consumerism From consumer + -ism.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) A materialistic attachment to possessions with a heavy use of consumables; a lifestyle based on such tendencies.
“It’s where cultural identity and cheap viral consumerism intersect,” D. Andrew Price, head of content at Memes Media Group, said of how Mr. Kirk’s T-shirt has proliferated in recent days.
2025 September 14, Alexander Nazaryan, quoting D. Andrew Price, “‘Freedom’ Shirt Becomes a Meme and an Instant Commodity”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 Sep 2025:Insatiable consumerism has blinkered our vision and left us unable to distinguish between what we need and what we merely want.
2015 June 28, Paul Vallely, “The Pope's Ecological Vow”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 27 Feb 2021:The fear of corporatism, consumerism, middle-browism and a mass reading public has driven twentieth-century cultural hierarchists.
1996, C. Bloom, Cult Fiction: Popular Reading and Pulp Theory, page 113:It’s easy to say, as I often do, that it’s capitalism at work. Yet I am actively involved in consumerism, triggered by my insecurities.
2024 August 8, Angela Garbes, “Menopause tests and anti-ageing face oils: welcome to midlife consumerism”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 20 Aug 2024:
- (countable, uncountable) An economic theory that increased consumption is beneficial to a nation's economy in the long run.
- (countable, uncountable) A policy or social movement of protecting and informing consumers through honesty in advertising and packaging, as well as improved safety standards, among other measures.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| consumerisms | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
political consumerism · postconsumerism · hyperconsumerism · over-consumerism · anticonsumerism
Relateds
consumerization · conspicuous consumption · consumerist · commercialism · anticonsumption · throwaway society · consumerize
Translations (22)
ca consumisme (economic theory) · es consumismo (economic theory) · ru потреби́тельство (economic theory) · el καταναλωτισμός (economic theory) · az istehlakçılıq (economic theory) · fi konsumerismi (economic theory) · kk тұтынушылық (economic theory) · ko 소비주의 (economic theory) · id konsumerisme (economic theory) · fa مصرفگرایی (economic theory) · pl konsumpcjonizm (economic theory) · ur صارفیت (economic theory) · fr consumérisme (economic theory) · pt consumismo (economic theory) · sv konsumism (economic theory) · ar استهلاكية (economic theory) · cmn 消費主義 /消费主义 (economic theory) · de Konsumismus (economic theory) · ms کڤڠݢوناءن (economic theory) · ur صارف پرستی (economic theory) · ar نزعة استهلاكية (economic theory) · mi kaiwhakapetonga (economic theory)