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material

American  

[muh-teer-ee-uhl] / məˈtɪər i əl /

noun

• materials
  plural

1. the substance or substances of which a thing is made or composed.

   Stone is a durable material.

2. anything that serves as crude or raw matter to be used or developed.

   Wood pulp is the raw material from which paper is made.

3. any constituent element.

4. a textile fabric.

   material for a dress.

5. 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.

6. materials, the articles or apparatus needed to make or do something.

   writing materials.

7. a person considered as having qualities suited to a particular sphere of activity.

   The boy's teachers did not think he was college material.

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adjective

1. formed or consisting of matter; physical; corporeal.

   the material world.

   Antonyms:

   incorporeal

2. relating to, concerned with, or involving matter.

   material forces.

3. pertaining to the physical rather than the spiritual or intellectual aspect of things.

   material comforts.

4. pertaining to or characterized by an undue interest in corporeal things; unspiritual.

5. 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.

6. of substantial import; of much consequence; important.

   Your support will make a material difference in the success of our program.

   Synonyms:

   vital, essential

   Antonyms:

   unimportant

7. pertinent or essential (usually followed byto ).

   a question not material to the subject at hand.

8. Law. likely to influence the determination of a case.

   material evidence.

9. Philosophy. of or relating to matter as distinguished from form.

material British  

/ məˈtɪərɪəl /

noun

1. the substance of which a thing is made or composed; component or constituent matter

   raw material

2. facts, notes, etc, that a finished work may be based on or derived from

   enough material for a book

3. cloth or fabric

4. a person who has qualities suitable for a given occupation, training, etc

   that boy is not university material

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or composed of physical substance; corporeal

2. philosophy composed of or relating to physical as opposed to mental or spiritual substance

   the material world

3. of, relating to, or affecting economic or physical wellbeing

   material ease

4. of or concerned with physical rather than spiritual interests

5. of great import or consequence

   of material benefit to the workers

6. (often foll by to) relevant

7. philosophy of or relating to matter as opposed to form

8. law relevant to the issue before court: applied esp to facts or testimony of much significance

   a material witness

Usage

What 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.

Synonym Usage

See matter.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• materialness
  noun
• supermaterial
  noun
• prematerial
  adjective
• quasi-material
  adjective
• transmaterial
  adjective
• unmaterial
  adjective
• quasi-materially
  adverb
• unmaterially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• materials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of material

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Late Latin māteriālis “of, belonging to matter,” equivalent to māteri(a) “woody part of a tree, substance” ( see matter) + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

Material is cloth from which clothes, curtains, or similar items can be created. If you sew your own bathing suit, it's important to make sure the material you use doesn't turn transparent when it gets wet. The noun material can also refer to the items or substances used to create something. If you want to build a swing set, you'll need to buy materials like treated lumber, bolts, and screws. You can also use the adjective material to describe something that is worldly rather than spiritual. If you join that religious order, you are supposed to give up your material goods — even your convertible.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

material materials

The police would almost certainly ask Channel 4 for all the unused filmed material, research notes and plans for the documentary.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

“I always need breaks and discussions to be able to absorb material, and the only time I was able to have that was at recess,” she said.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

The first detonation was believed to have involved "black powder corresponding to pyrotechnic material stored at the site," he said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026

In a material such as ZrTe5, where spin-orbit interaction is strong, these two contributions cannot be considered independently.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 2026

It was that warmer temperatures all around the world were melting the permafrost in the Arctic, and tiny microbes were feasting on the newly unfrozen plant material in the ground.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

All of these books, movies, CDs and other materials are sitting there waiting to be used.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

The company’s early materials envisioned operating 70 sites by 2030.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

"We have sent a lot of relief material and right now our team is loading some materials for the hospital in the area," drone operator Avaya Pokharel told AFP in Nuwakot.

From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026

The investigations in Coedpoeth come as another field on the edge of the nearby village of Minera has seen dozens of lorries depositing materials, which one local councillor described as "reeking of diesel".

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Anya watched the laborers haul building materials as the archer’s horse carried her up the hill.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Related Words

• cloth
• component
• element
• equipment
• goods
• ingredient
• machinery
• object
• stuff
• substance
• supply
• textile