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material
[ muh-teer-ee-uhl ]
noun
- the substance or substances of which a thing is made or composed:
Stone is a durable material.
- anything that serves as crude or raw matter to be used or developed:
Wood pulp is the raw material from which paper is made.
- any constituent element.
- a textile fabric:
material for a dress.
- a group of ideas, facts, data, etc., that may provide the basis for or be incorporated into some integrated work:
to gather material for a history of North Carolina;
to write material for a comedy show.
- materials, the articles or apparatus needed to make or do something:
writing materials.
- a person considered as having qualities suited to a particular sphere of activity:
The boy's teachers did not think he was college material.
adjective
- formed or consisting of matter; physical; corporeal:
the material world.
Antonyms:
- relating to, concerned with, or involving matter:
material forces.
- pertaining to the physical rather than the spiritual or intellectual aspect of things:
material comforts.
- pertaining to or characterized by an undue interest in corporeal things; unspiritual.
- characterized by an overriding interest in wealth and possessions and the consumption of luxury goods and services:
You could probably call him a material guy, as he’s had expensive tastes and a lust for fashion from the time he was a kid.
- of substantial import; of much consequence; important:
Your support will make a material difference in the success of our program.
Synonyms: ,
Antonyms:
- pertinent or essential (usually followed by to ):
a question not material to the subject at hand.
- Law. likely to influence the determination of a case:
material evidence.
- Philosophy. of or relating to matter as distinguished from form.
material
/ əˈɪəɪə /
noun
- the substance of which a thing is made or composed; component or constituent matter
raw material
- facts, notes, etc, that a finished work may be based on or derived from
enough material for a book
- cloth or fabric
- a person who has qualities suitable for a given occupation, training, etc
that boy is not university material
adjective
- of, relating to, or composed of physical substance; corporeal
- philosophy composed of or relating to physical as opposed to mental or spiritual substance
the material world
- of, relating to, or affecting economic or physical wellbeing
material ease
- of or concerned with physical rather than spiritual interests
- of great import or consequence
of material benefit to the workers
- often foll by to relevant
- philosophy of or relating to matter as opposed to form
- law relevant to the issue before court: applied esp to facts or testimony of much significance
a material witness
Derived Forms
- ˈٱԱ, noun
Other Word Forms
- ·ٱ···Ա noun
- ··ٱ·· adjective
- ܲ·-·ٱ·· adjective
- ܲ·-·ٱ···ly adverb
- ···ٱ·· noun
- ٰԲ··ٱ·· adjective
- ܲ··ٱ·· adjective
- ܲ··ٱ···ly adverb
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of material1
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Brazil is a producer of both metals and has large reserves of their raw materials – bauxite and iron ore.
These materials are designed to be cheap, trendy and disposable.
The mineral, once widely-used in building materials, releases toxic fibres into the air when disturbed that can cling to the lungs and - over decades - cause cancer.
The maker of Ariel, Head & Shoulders and Gillette said it was considering changes to its prices to make up for the extra cost of materials sourced from China and other places.
Prosecutor Adam Vaitilingam KC told the jury they might find it "troubling" that a man trying to save someone's life decided "he needs to delete potentially incriminating material from his phone".
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More About Material
is a basic definition of material?
Material refers to a thing that something else is made out of. Material can also refer to cloth or can be used to describe something that is made of matter and exists in the physical world. Material has many other senses as a noun and an adjective.
If something is a housing material, it is an item that is used to build a house. Nearly anything could be a material, as long as it is possible to use it to make something else. In this sense, material is similar to the word ingredient.
- Real-life examples: Stone, wood, metal, bamboo, and brick are used as building materials. Many toys have plastic as their primary material. Glass is a common material for windows and containers.
- Used in a sentence: The box was made out of some sort of spongy material.
Material is also used to refer to the cloth or fabrics that are used in weaving, sewing, or knitting.
- Real-life examples: Wool, silk, polyester, cotton, and velvet are some common materials used to make clothing and many other products.
- Used in a sentence: The dress was made using a very soft material.
Material is used to describe something that is made of matter and exists in our physical reality. Think about something that isn’t material, like a ghost. A ghost is not material because it cannot be detected with any of our senses and is not made out of anything we can understand. Thoughts, feelings, and ideas are also not material. You can’t touch them or see them. In this sense, material is often used to contrast terms like spiritual, intangible, and metaphysical.
- Real-life examples: Everything that we can experience or detect using our senses is material. This includes all things that exist in our universe, such as people, animals, rocks, water, and the stars.
- Used in a sentence: Philosophers often think beyond the material world.
Where does material come from?
The first records of material come from around 1300. It comes from the Late Latin ٱ, meaning “of or belonging to matter.”
Did you know … ?
are some other forms related to material?
- materialness (noun)
- prematerial (adjective)
- quasimaterial (adjective)
- quasimaterially (adverb)
- transmaterial (adjective)
are some synonyms for material?
are some words that share a root or word element with material?
are some words that often get used in discussing material?
are some words material may be commonly confused with?
How is material used in real life?
Material is a common word that has many different meanings. It is frequently used to refer to a substance that something is made of.
Just replaced the screen on my phone. This junk is made of some cheap flimsy materials
— Chey Butta (@SiriusBlackMale)
Shopping with my tween and she won't buy pants/shorts/leggings w/out pockets and made from soft material. Maybe this generation will save us all….
— Dr. Kat Milligan-Myhre ❄️ (@Napaaqtuk)
The brain is an instrument that measures quantum information. Consciousness constructs the material world out of that measured information
— Deepak Chopra (@DeepakChopra)
Try using material!
Is material used correctly in the following sentence?
Wood is a common material used to build tables and chairs.
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