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.
Africa and Europe, and she has her own design studio, Felemaye, which she describes as “rooted in memory, material culture, and spatial intelligence.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
Each bay presents an aspect of samurai life, collectively producing a robust representation of Edo-period visual and material culture.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 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
A population of 4,000 was able to survive for 10,000 years, but with significant cultural losses and significant failures to invent, leaving it with a uniquely simplified 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.
