commercial

1.形容詞B2

釋義

involving the activity of buying, selling, or trading goods and services between companies or individuals in order to earn money.

例句

The city's commercial district is full of banks, offices, and large shops.

collocation: commercial district / commercial law / commercial fishing

Commercial fishing is a major industry along the coast of Norway.

同義詞

trade
used before nouns (trade agreement, trade route) but less common as an adjective describing the nature of an activity
business
broader in meaning; 'business activities' can include management and operations beyond buying and selling
mercantile
formal and dated; mostly used in historical or academic writing about commerce

反義詞

non-commercial
describes activities not intended to earn money, such as charity or hobbies

常見錯誤

❌Commercial growth has slowed this quarter.' (when referring to the economy broadly)

✅Economic growth has slowed this quarter.

💡'commercial' relates specifically to trade and business transactions, while 'economic' covers a wider range of financial activity including employment, inflation, and public spending.

2.形容詞B2

釋義

produced or sold in large quantities so that any member of the public can buy it, rather than being made for a small, specialised group.

例句

Their homemade sauce became so popular that they started producing it on a commercial scale.

collocation: on a commercial scale

The university research team developed a new material for commercial use.

同義詞

mass-produced
emphasises factory-scale production rather than market availability
public
broader in meaning; a 'public service' is not necessarily sold for profit

反義詞

bespoke
made to order for an individual customer, not available to the general public
custom
designed for one specific person or use case

用法筆記

Commonly appears before nouns that describe product types (commercial vehicle, commercial software, commercial property). When used this way it contrasts with 'domestic', 'personal', or 'residential' versions of the same thing.

常見錯誤

❌I bought a commercial ticket at the station.

✅I bought a regular ticket at the station.

💡'commercial' in the mass-market sense is used before specific product-type nouns (commercial vehicle, commercial oven), not as a general replacement for 'standard' or 'regular'.

3.形容詞B2

釋義

intended to be used in a business activity that generates income, as opposed to being for private or personal purposes.

例句

The ground floor of the building is rented out for commercial purposes.

collocation: for commercial purposes

A commercial driver's licence is needed to operate goods trucks professionally.

collocation: commercial driver's licence

同義詞

for-profit
more directly states that making money is the goal; often used of organisations and schools
income-generating
describes the result rather than the intention

反義詞

personal
for an individual's own use rather than for business
residential
specifically of buildings; a 'residential property' is a home, not a business premises

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 (TRADE AND BUSINESS): sense 1 describes the sector or nature of work (commercial district, commercial law), while this sense contrasts income-generating use against personal or private use of the same item or space.

常見錯誤

❌We opened a commercial account at the bank.' (when you simply mean a business account)

✅We opened a business account at the bank.

💡'commercial account' is technically correct in some contexts, but 'business account' is far more common for most small enterprises.

4.形容詞B2

釋義

relating to passenger travel services that are available to anyone who pays a fare, as opposed to private, company, or military operations.

例句

Commercial flights between Taipei and Tokyo depart every two hours.

collocation: commercial flight / commercial airline

After training as a military pilot, Ravi now flies commercial planes for a Malaysian carrier.

同義詞

civil
used for aviation (civil aviation) to distinguish from military; broader than just transport
passenger
specifically of services that carry people rather than cargo

反義詞

private
operated for a specific individual or organisation, not open to the public
military
operated by the armed forces

用法筆記

Only used before nouns related to transport (flight, airline, shipping, vessel, passenger). Does not apply to trains or buses operated by a government transport authority — those are called 'public transport', not 'commercial transport', even though they charge fares.

常見錯誤

❌I take the commercial bus to work every day.

✅I take the public bus to work every day.

💡'commercial' in the transport sense contrasts with private/military operators, not with free services. City buses are 'public transport' even if run by a private company.

5.形容詞C1

釋義

created mainly to earn money, with the result that artistic, intellectual, or cultural quality suffers.

例句

Critics dismissed the film as purely commercial entertainment with no artistic value.

purely commercial — adverb intensifier pattern

The band sold millions of records but became too commercial for their early fans.

too commercial — pejorative use

同義詞

profit-driven
more neutral; describes motivation without implying low quality
formulaic
emphasises the predictable, unoriginal result of following a profitable template
mass-market
overlaps with sense 2; in this sense it carries the critical tone of 'appealing to the lowest common denominator'

反義詞

artistic
emphasises creative vision over financial return
independent
of films or music produced outside the major commercial system, usually with greater creative control

用法筆記

Carries a negative judgement about the creator's motivation. A 'commercial' film or book is treated as the opposite of 'artistic' or 'serious' work. Can also be applied to places: a neighbourhood becoming 'too commercial' means local character is being lost to chain stores and tourist shops.

常見錯誤

❌This restaurant is too commercial for me.' (vague criticism)

✅This restaurant has become too commercial

💡the food quality dropped after they expanded to three locations.' — 'commercial' as criticism needs context about what was lost (quality, authenticity, personal touch) to make the meaning clear to a listener.

6.形容詞C2

釋義

describing a television or radio channel whose operating costs are paid by advertising revenue rather than by public funding, licence fees, or subscriptions.

例句

Commercial television channels interrupt programmes every fifteen minutes for advertisements.

commercial television / commercial radio

Unlike the BBC, commercial radio stations rely entirely on sponsorship and ad revenue.

同義詞

advertiser-funded
more transparent about the funding model; less common in everyday speech
ad-supported
used for digital media; more modern and less formal

反義詞

public
funded by the government or by licence fees rather than ads
subscription-based
paid for by user subscriptions rather than advertising

用法筆記

Almost always appears before the nouns 'television', 'radio', 'broadcaster', 'station', or 'network'. When describing a non-broadcast medium (a website, a podcast), the equivalent term is 'ad-supported'.

常見錯誤

❌ 'I find commercial TV too distracting because of the adverts.' (grammatically fine — this is correct) — This sense is straightforward for Taiwanese learners; the main risk is overextending it to any ad-funded service (websites, newspapers), where 'ad-supported' or simply 'free' is more natural.

commercial — adjective

1. involving the activity of buying, selling, or trading goods and services between

常見錯誤

2. produced or sold in large quantities so that any member of the public can buy it

用法筆記

常見錯誤

3. intended to be used in a business activity that generates income, as opposed to

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常見錯誤

4. relating to passenger travel services that are available to anyone who pays a fa

用法筆記

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5. created mainly to earn money, with the result that artistic, intellectual, or cu

用法筆記

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6. describing a television or radio channel whose operating costs are paid by adver

用法筆記

常見錯誤

commercial — noun

1. a short film or audio clip that promotes a product or service, broadcast between

用法筆記

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