commercial

/kəˈmɜːʃl/ (bre, ipa) · /kəˈmɜːrʃl/ (ame, ipa) · /kə-ˈmər-shəl/ (ame, mw) · /kəˈmɜː.ʃəl/ (bre, ipa) · /kəˈmɝː.ʃəl/ (ame, ipa)

commercial — 形容詞

  • commercialpositive
  • more commercialcomparative
  • most commercialsuperlative

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

1.形容詞B2
釋義

商業的

與買賣或貿易相關的

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.

這個城市的商業區到處都是銀行、辦公室和大型商店。

collocation: commercial district / commercial law / commercial fishing

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

商業捕魚是挪威沿海的一大產業。

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

2.形容詞B2
釋義

量產的

面向大眾市場銷售的產品

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.

他們的自家醬料大受歡迎，於是開始以商業規模量產。

collocation: on a commercial scale

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

這支大學研究團隊開發出一種可供商業使用的新材料。

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

3.形容詞B2
釋義

營利用的

用於營利而非個人用途

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.

這棟建築的一樓是用於商業目的而出租的。

collocation: for commercial purposes

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

如果你想以開貨車為業，就需要取得商業駕駛執照。

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

4.形容詞B2
釋義

民用的

一般大眾付費使用的交通服務

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.

台北和東京之間的商業航班每兩小時就有一班。

collocation: commercial flight / commercial airline

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

Ravi 在受訓成為軍用飛行員之後，現在為一家馬來西亞航空公司駕駛商用飛機。

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

5.形容詞C1
釋義

商業化的

為賺錢而犧牲藝術品質的

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.

影評人將這部電影貶為純粹商業化的娛樂作品，毫無藝術價值。

purely commercial — adverb intensifier pattern

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

這個樂團賣出了數百萬張唱片，但在早期歌迷眼中變得過於商業化。

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

6.形容詞C2
釋義

廣告資助的

靠廣告收入營運的（電視台或電台）

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.

商業電視台每隔十五分鐘就會插播廣告打斷節目。

commercial television / commercial radio

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

與 BBC 不同，商業廣播電台完全依賴贊助和廣告收入。

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 — 名詞