material culture
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of material culture
First recorded in 1925–30
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How does material-culture compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Shakers, with their signature spare style, have had an outsize impact on material culture, considering their numbers—a peak estimated at 6,000 members in the mid-19th century—and segregation from the world.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
That emphasis on empathy shapes Meredith's broader goal of bringing attention back to the laborers behind ancient material culture.
From Science Daily • Dec. 16, 2025
The burials had scanty grave goods—a bead and a dog paw—so it’s hard to connect them to any particular material culture.
From Science Magazine • Jun. 19, 2024
The pictures record L.A. and vicinity, the sculptures connect to Mesoamerican material culture.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2023
The differing availability of raw materials imposed an obvious constraint on material culture.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
