prosumer

P3R1O1S1U1M3E1R1
UK/pɹəʊˈsjuːmə/

noun

A person in postindustrial society who combines the economic roles of producer and consumer.

Similar
amateurenthusiasthobbyistsemiprofessional
OriginEnglish consumer ← Middle English consumen ← Old French consumer →
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

prosumer1

nounprosumer (plural prosumers)

plural prosumers

  1. A person in postindustrial society who combines the economic roles of producer and consumer.

    During the First Wave most people consumed what they themselves produced. They were neither producers nor consumers in the usual sense. They were instead what might be called "prosumers."

    [1980, Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave

prosumer2

adjectiveprosumer (not comparable)
  1. not comparablebusinessTargeting serious, enthusiastic consumers, incorporating professional features but often modified for non-professional use.
  2. not comparablebusinessHigh-end.
nounprosumer (plural prosumers)

plural prosumers

  1. A serious, enthusiastic consumer: not professional (earning money), but of similar interest and skills to a (generally lower-level) professional, or aspiring to that.

    Synonyms: amateur, enthusiast, hobbyist, semiprofessional

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA serious, enthusiastic consumer: not professional (earning money), but of similar interest and skills to a (generally lower-level) professional, or aspiring to that.

Similar
amateurenthusiasthobbyistsemiprofessional
Also see
enthusiast

Origin

prosumer · noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*pér
  3. Proto-Indo-European*pró
  4. Proto-Indo-European*pro-
  5. Proto-Italic*pro-
  6. Latinprō-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*dewk-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*déwkti
  9. Proto-Italic*doukō
  10. Latindūcō
  11. Latinprōdūcō
  12. Middle Englishproduce
  13. Englishproduce
  14. Englishproducer
  15. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  16. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  17. Proto-Italic*kom
  18. Proto-Italic*kom-
  19. Latincon-
  20. Proto-Indo-European*upó
  21. Proto-Italic*supo
  22. Latinsub
  23. Latinsub-
  24. Proto-Indo-European*h₁em-
  25. Proto-Indo-European*h₁émeti
  26. Proto-Italic*emō
  27. Latinemō
  28. Latinsūmō
  29. Latincōnsūmō
  30. Old Frenchconsumer
  31. Middle Englishconsumen
  32. Englishconsume
  33. Englishconsumer
  34. Englishprosumer

Blend of producer + consumer, coined by futurologist Alvin Toffler in his book The Third Wave (1980). Concept based on suggestion by Marshall McLuhan and Barrington Nevitt in their 1972 book Take Today (p. 4) that consumers would take on producer roles in mass customization.

Full word history & related roots →

prosumer · adjective, noun

  1. Englishprofessional
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  3. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  4. Proto-Italic*kom
  5. Proto-Italic*kom-
  6. Latincon-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*upó
  8. Proto-Italic*supo
  9. Latinsub
  10. Latinsub-
  11. Proto-Indo-European*h₁em-
  12. Proto-Indo-European*h₁émeti
  13. Proto-Italic*emō
  14. Latinemō
  15. Latinsūmō
  16. Latincōnsūmō
  17. Old Frenchconsumer
  18. Middle Englishconsumen
  19. Englishconsume
  20. Englishconsumer
  21. Englishprosumer

Blend of professional + consumer.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish prosument
  • prosumentperson in postindustrial society
Spanish prosumidor
  • prosumidorperson in postindustrial society
Cite this entry
APA

prosumer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prosumer

MLA

“prosumer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prosumer. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prosumer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prosumer.

Source: prosumer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.