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consumerism

[kuhn-soo-muh-riz-uhm]

noun

a modern movement for the protection of the consumer against useless, inferior, or dangerous products, misleading advertising, unfair pricing, etc.

the concept that an ever-expanding consumption of goods is advantageous to the economy.

the fact or practice of an increasing consumption of goods: a critic of American consumerism.

Origin:
1940–45, Americanism; consumer + -ism

Related forms

an·ti·con·sum·er·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To consumerism

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Consumerism is always a great word to know.

So is bezoar. Does it mean:

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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Example Sentences

IF consumerism is our secular religion, then copywriters are its evangelists.

They believe that buying without due consciousness of what is being bought amounts to a sort of neocolonial consumerism.

Next up, and my personal favorite, is the role that consumerism plays in young adults lives.

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IF consumerism is our secular religion, then copywriters are its evangelists.

They believe that buying without due consciousness of what is being bought amounts to a sort of neocolonial consumerism.

Next up, and my personal favorite, is the role that consumerism plays in young adults lives.

What strikes you first is the carrot: giddy financial growth fueling never ending construction and consumerism.

Sure there were cavernous showrooms, hordes of gadget-lusting revelers and rampant consumerism.

Consumerism is installed in communities living on subsistence and boredom abounds in affluent societies.

Corny notions of dollar-savings and/or materialist minimalism have never worked and are never going to work against consumerism.

In middle childhood as in middle age, consumerism confounds.

The mentality of consumerism has degraded our grading standards.

The consumerism culture there has simply got out of hand.

We bail out your credit addiction and consumerism why not bail out my drug addiction.

Part of the new economics built around individualism, not consumerism.

As far as consumerism goes, everyone consumes something.

The culture of consumerism itself rests on concrete economic changes.

It will open your eyes to the world of food production and consumerism and you might find it difficult to go all the way back.

Consumerism has brought with it plastic packaging and new problems of waste management.

It's possible that, now that the recession's hit, audiences have simply had enough of such obscene consumerism.

Shed the dogma, make the adjustments, and keep it going: old age consumerism supports domestic demand.

In a world preoccupied with consumerism and petty self-interest, that gives life dignity.

New parents are rethinking consumerism and forgoing luxury purchases.

But the values that made it great, consumerism included, have been sold on to the rest of the world.

Koons' focus on consumerism and pop culture suggests that he was inspired by the midcentury pop art.

What could have been yet another example of kindergarten consumerism instead becomes one of resourcefulness and resilience.

But the values that made it great, consumerism included, have.

However, the imbalance between basic life needs and rampant consumerism has upset the equilibrium of nature.

Both glorify consumerism and individual choice above all else, at the cost of undermining traditional mores and ways of life.

But such consumerism is fast becoming a nightmare for college financial aid officials.

We are a nation, they say, of follow-me consumerism.

They could be taken as a commentary on the standardization of all things under the aegis of industrialized consumerism.

Americans should be aware, that the days of cheap consumerism are gone.

It's only consumerism that would make you happy if somebody destroyed your old iPod.

Rising obesity, heart disease etc and declining consumerism should cause a shift in diet which are more natural and healthy.

The old fashioned capitalist consumerism is environmentally suicidal.

US is knows for its consumerism and its huge workk force.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

consumerism (kənˈsjuːməˌrɪzəm)

—n
1.	protection of the interests of consumers
2.	advocacy of a high rate of consumption and spending as a basis for a sound economy

con'sumerist

—n, —*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

consumerism

1944, "protection of the consumer's interest," from consumer + -ism. Also, "encouraging consumption as an economic policy" (1960). Related: Consumerist (1965, n.; 1969, adj.).

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

consumerism definition

A movement in the United States that seeks to protect consumers against shoddy or improperly labeled products. (See Ralph Nader.)

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"It's about learning your craft. That's a wonderful thing—especially with today's consumerism and instant gratification. You can't buy that. It's about making decisions, corrections, choices. I don't think it's so much about becoming a tennis player. It's about becoming a person."

-Billie Jean King

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