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hucksterism

hucksterism

1 9.9
A way of selling that uses pushy, dishonest methods to get attention
  • noun
  • /ˈhʌkstərɪzəm/
translation icon : venta agresiva
  • The less fortunate aspects—overreach and arrogance, religiosity and contempt for the masses, hucksterism and emotional manipulation—will reappear in the form of some new movement.

Examples

  • It's clear early on in the film that Plainview and Sunday's different brands of hucksterism run on parallel railroad tracks.

    Blog text (25)
  • On our way back to my mother's apartment, we got caught in an Amsterdam Avenue street fair and were nudged off our paths by the amiable tumult, by the free-form hucksterism that totally obscured the fair's civic auspices.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Good ole American hucksterism hard at work.

    Blog text (11)
  • The real problem nowadays, I think, is not hucksterism, but political correctness.

    Blog text (18)
  • Hucksterism has long been a part of politics, but Gingrich's style of hucksterism is uniquely well suited to the internet age.

    Blog text (5)
  • It puts a pall of hucksterism on the whole affair.

    Blog text (28)
  • While many mediators contend that standards and regulations are inappropriate, many other experienced mediators say they already see an element of hucksterism.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Materialism, consumerism, and commercial hucksterism exclusively drive content, and TV is now even being used, obviously, to just dumb down viewers while keeping them entertained and oblivious to what's really going on.

    Blog text (9)
  • It didn't so much mark a new era of Hollywood as take the corporate Hollywood that was already in gear and kick it up another notch or two of visually narcotizing hucksterism.

    Blog text (7)
  • The advertisement for the product relied heavily on hucksterism to attract customers with exaggerated claims.

Synonyms

sales pitch
vshucksterism
26 3.2

A short talk to convince someone to buy something

is often less forceful and may lack pressure or deception
hustle
vshucksterism
  • Slang
16 8.0

A dishonest plan to trick people and take their money

is focused on aggressive selling for attention not solely criminal swindles
hard sell
vshucksterism
  • Informal
15 5.3

A strong, pushy effort to make someone buy something

is broader promotion that can be pushy and deceptive
sophistry
vshucksterism
7 9.8

Use of clever but false arguments to trick people

is about pushy promotional behavior rather than abstract logical deception
puffery
vshucksterism
  • Jargon
2 8.3

Claims that exaggerate product benefits and are not meant literally

is more about pushy or deceptive promotion rather than simple exaggeration
humbuggery
vshucksterism
  • Archaic
1 9.7

Dishonest words or actions that try to trick people

is specifically focused on aggressive promotional techniques as well as deception
5.9

A pushy method to make people buy things

is pushy promotion that often uses pressure and deception
salesy pitch
vshucksterism
  • Informal
7.9

A message that tries too hard to get you to buy something

is aggressive promotion that aims to attract attention or buyers
flackery
vshucksterism
  • Slang
9.9

Too much promotion by people who try to make something seem better than it is

is pushy and sometimes deceptive promotion aimed at attention
sales blitzkrieg
vshucksterism
  • Jargon
8.2

A sudden strong campaign to sell many products quickly to gain market share

is similar but focuses on individual aggressive persuasion rather than broad campaign
suckering
vshucksterism
  • Informal
8.3

Cheating people to get their money or an advantage

is often promotional and attention seeking rather than only personal trickery

Antonyms

447 4.3

Being honest and doing what is right

365 1.0

Being truthful and fair in what you say and do

How Aggressive

hucksterism
1 9.9
hawking
24 6.3
salesmanship
8 3.9
advertising
878 2.7
promotion
124 3.2
marketing
838 2.7

Surface Forms

hucksterism singular
hucksterisms plural

Morphology

hucksterism = huckster (transparent) = huckster + ism

Formed by adding the nominalizing suffix '-ism' to 'huckster' to denote the practice or system associated with hucksters, a straightforward derivation.

Etymology

Hucksterism comes from huckster, an old word for a loud street 'seller' who used tricks and big promises to make people buy. So hucksterism means the practice of pushy, flashy, or deceptive selling that tries to persuade people.