- the practice and policies of protecting the consumer by publicizing defective and unsafe products, misleading business practices, etc.
- the consumption of goods and services
- a theory that a continual increase in the consumption of goods is sound economically
noun
- Laws and rules that protect people who shop and spend are examples of consumerism.
- An obsession with shopping and acquiring stuff is an example of consumerism.
The definition of consumerism is the protection of the rights and interests of the general pool of buyers, or an obsession with buying material goods or items.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"consumerism." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consumerism>.
APA Style
consumerism. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consumerism
consumerism
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"consumerism." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consumerism>.
APA Style
consumerism. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consumerism
consumerism
noun
- The movement seeking to protect and inform consumers by requiring such practices as honest packaging and advertising, product guarantees, and improved safety standards.
- The theory that a progressively greater consumption of goods is economically beneficial.
- Attachment to materialistic values or possessions: deplored the rampant consumerism of contemporary society.
Related Forms:
- con·sum′er·ist
noun
- con·sum′er·is′tic
adjective
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"consumerism." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consumerism>.
APA Style
consumerism. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consumerism
Noun
(countable and uncountable, plural consumerisms)
- A policy of protecting and informing consumers through honesty in advertising and packaging, improved safety standards etc
- A materialistic attachment to possessions.
- An economic theory that increased consumption is beneficial to a nation's economy in the long run.
Origin
consumer + -ism
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"consumerism." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consumerism>.
APA Style
consumerism. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consumerism
Sentence Examples
- Consumerism is imperative to our culture's paradigm.
- As children become more eco-conscious, this is a good way to encourage that sensibility as a check against consumerism.
- The economy strengthened, buying on credit started, and consumerism increased with the automobile at the top of the list.
- According to Gene Huang, FedEx chief economist and a Shanghai native, the Chinese emerging middle class and growing consumerism will continue to seek goods and luxury items from the rest of the world.
- In the 1960s and 1970s, crocheting a bathing suit allowed a woman to express individuality even while swimming, and shirk consumerism as well.
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