sellout means an action in which principles are compromised for personal gain. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 74 out of 100.
sellout is pronounced /ˈsɛlˌaʊt/.
Why “sellout” is a great word
SELLOUT — [Noun] A person who betrays a principle or cause for personal gain, especially financial; also, an event for which all tickets are sold. A deverbal noun from the verb phrase 'sell out'; first attested in its figurative sense in the United States around 1862. Unlike “traitor,” which evokes cloaks and daggers, the forsaking of a country or creed, or “opportunist,” which suggests an agile, amoral eye for the main chance, the sellout implies a quieter, more domestic corruption: the specific transaction of a once-cherished self. It is the radical poet signing the lucrative advertising contract, the local punk venue now hosting corporate mixers, the artist reproducing their signature style for mass-produced trinkets—each a small, pragmatic death where the ledger finally overbalances the soul, the precise, quantifiable value one accepts for a ghost.
noun
- An action in which principles are compromised for personal gain.“A statement by the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights (CLGR), which organized the protest, charged that WPIX's sale of air time to the Anita Bryant Ministries "is a sell-out of the more than one million lesbians and gay residents in the WPIX broadcast service area.”
- A person who sells out, who compromises their principles for financial gain or some other advantage.“The rock star used to be hardcore, but now he's just a sellout.”
- The selling of an entire stock of something, especially tickets for an entertainment or sports event.“I performed in front of a sellout crowd.”