material girl

American  

[muh-teer-ee-uhl gurl] / məˈtɪər i əl ˌgɜrl /

noun

1. a person, especially a woman, who pursues a lifestyle of buying luxury items or of seeking them as gifts from lovers and admirers.

   In The Great Gatsby, Daisy was a material girl, living in a world of possession and social status through Tom.

   Their new designer lip balms boast fun and funky packaging that screams on-trend—perfect for the material girl on the go.

---

Etymology

Origin of material girl

Coined in 1984 by U.S. songwriters Peter Brown and Robert Rans

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

material girl

While accepting the award for "Best Collaboration" after their performance, Madonna and Carpenter joked about how the material girl direct messaged via social media to get them into the studio for the collaboration.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

The goal: retool the Barbie brand, from one centered around a looks-obsessed material girl to something with heft — less “Real Housewives” and more real world, as The Washington Post put it in 2016.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 26, 2023

Hilary is still a bit of a material girl — a social media influencer, inevitably — but also an aspiring guru of food, something her sitcom predecessor only knew how to eat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2022

The material girl went on to accuse people of being "quick to judge".

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2018

If, in your celebration of the single life, you are still chastising your ex for not having sealed a commitment with a rock, are you more of a material girl than empowered woman warrior?

From The Guardian ● Jun. 27, 2016