immaterial
Americanadjective
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of no essential consequence; unimportant.
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not pertinent; irrelevant.
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not material; incorporeal; spiritual.
adjective
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of no real importance; inconsequential
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not formed of matter; incorporeal; spiritual
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of immaterial
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word immāteriālis. See im- 2, material
Explanation
Things that are immaterial have no physical form (like a ghost) or are unimportant (like most ghost stories). Something that’s material has substance, right? You can touch it or it's important. So the opposite is the word immaterial, which means something that doesn't matter, or has no physical substance, or which adds nothing to the subject at hand. This word is heard a lot in court, where "It's immaterial!" dismisses evidence or testimony as meaningless or beside the point. You could say the wind is literally immaterial, though windiness is not immaterial if you’re going kiting.
Vocabulary lists containing immaterial
The Catcher in the Rye
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All Quiet on the Western Front
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Never Mind: Synonyms for "Meaningless"
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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.
When depictions of manhood contend with the real-life environment outside the movie theater, they can help us put words to the immaterial feelings we don’t always have the time or energy to parse ourselves.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
But his personal relationships are immaterial to our national interests.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
That said, whether the flight you were rebooked on had a TV or not is immaterial to the legality of your situation.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 11, 2026
Whatever the Post is worth today is immaterial to Bezos’ wealth.
From Slate • Feb. 5, 2026
Even human beings had not only an immaterial mind but a material sensitive soul, capable of a physical presence after death.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
