noun ·5 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The theory that a nation must always have a positive balance of trade, in the manner that a merchant would operate a shop. Typically this model presupposes protectionism. countable, historical, uncountable
2. 2
   transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services) wordnet
3. 3
   The theory that holds that the prosperity of a nation depends upon its supply of capital, and that the global volume of trade is unchangeable. countable, uncountable
4. 4
   an economic system (Europe in 18th century) to increase a nation's wealth by government regulation of all of the nation's commercial interests wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

commercecommercecommercialismdeitygoddesshermes

Etymology

From mercantile + -ism.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.