commodity

commodity — noun

1. A raw material or basic product that is produced in large quantities and is trad

1.名詞C1
釋義

A raw material or basic product that is produced in large quantities and is traded on local or international markets, such as oil, gold, grain, or coffee.

例句

Coffee is one of the most widely traded commodities in the world.

Global demand for commodities like oil and copper continues to rise each year.

collocation: demand for commodities

同義詞
  • goods

    broader term covering anything sold, not limited to raw materials

  • merchandise

    refers specifically to items offered for retail sale

  • raw material

    narrower — only unprocessed substances used in manufacturing

文法句型

commodity + verb

adjective + commodity

用法筆記

Typically paired with adjectives specifying the type — agricultural, precious, bulk, or soft — and often appears in the plural form when referring to the category as a whole.

常見錯誤

❌My company created a new commodity that is different from all others.
✅My company created a new product that is different from all others.
💡Commodities are standardized and interchangeable; products can be differentiated.

2. A quality, characteristic, or resource that is highly valued because it is usefu

2.名詞B2
釋義

A quality, characteristic, or resource that is highly valued because it is useful but often in short supply.

例句

Honesty is a rare and precious commodity in this high-pressure industry.

figurative: commodity as a scarce quality

For the refugee camp volunteers, clean drinking water became a valuable commodity.

同義詞
  • asset

    emphasizes financial or strategic worth

  • resource

    focuses on usefulness and availability

  • virtue

    specifically a moral quality

反義詞
  • liability

    something that puts one at a disadvantage

  • drawback

    a negative feature that reduces value

文法句型

adjective + commodity

用法筆記

Always used with an evaluative adjective (rare, precious, valuable, scarce, fragile) — the adjective indicates why the quality is notable.

常見錯誤

❌She is a commodity in the office.
✅Her expertise is a rare commodity in the office.
💡The figurative sense describes a quality, trait, or resource, not a person directly.