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source material

American  

noun

  1. original, authoritative, or basic materials utilized in research, as diaries or manuscripts.


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.

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Minghella’s film is an utterly beautiful and romantic story, a daunting feat considering how equally beautiful, though different, its source material is.

From Salon Jul. 28, 2026

While much of the source material comes from elsewhere, the cumulative mood is extremely personal to an artist who has spent his life helping the greats find true expression.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 3, 2026

Jefferson still had his nose in his books—his dome is based on Palladio’s reconstruction of the Roman temple of Vesta—but he transformed his source material, much as Shakespeare did, to serve his own purposes.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 19, 2026

Schrader argued that AI still depends on human artists as source material, even as it grows increasingly adept at mimicking their voices and structures.

From Los Angeles Times May 28, 2026

This was primary source material, research papers based on direct experimental data, involved theoretical constructions utilizing a complex vocabulary and containing a wealth of original ideas—and he was breaking his head on it.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

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