materialism

American  

[muh-teer-ee-uh-liz-uhm] / məˈtɪər i əˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. preoccupation with or emphasis on material objects, comforts, and considerations, with a disinterest in or rejection of spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values.

2. the philosophical theory that regards matter and its motions as constituting the universe, and all phenomena, including those of mind, as due to material agencies.

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materialism British  

/ məˈtɪərɪəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. interest in and desire for money, possessions, etc, rather than spiritual or ethical values

2. philosophy the monist doctrine that matter is the only reality and that the mind, the emotions, etc, are merely functions of it Compare idealism dualism See also identity theory

3. ethics the rejection of any religious or supernatural account of things

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materialism Cultural  

1. In philosophy, the position that nothing exists except matter — things that can be measured or known through the senses. Materialists deny the existence of spirit, and they look for physical explanations for all phenomena. Thus, for example, they trace mental states to the brain or nervous system, rather than to the spirit or the soul. Marxism, because it sees human culture as the product of economic forces, is a materialist system of beliefs.

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Other Word Forms

• antimaterialism noun
• materialist noun
• materialistic adjective
• materialistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of materialism

From the New Latin word māteriālismus, dating back to 1740–50. See material, -ism

Explanation

Materialism describes the belief that buying and having possessions is not just important, but a key to happiness in life, like the people whose materialism has so clouded their minds that they are more interested in your clothes and shoes than in what you are saying. Materialism has the word material in it. What is material? Well, it's stuff — anything you can see and touch, like a pile of books or a big, green lawn. To be material, a thing has to have physical form, unlike emotions, beliefs, deep conversations, thoughts. So materialism means putting all importance on stuff. Someone who suffers from materialism would rather be out spending money than spending time with loved ones.

Example Sentences

"It's been crowded like this for the last couple of states," he told those in attendance, urging listeners to avoid "chasing materialism" and to abandon thoughts of greed, anger and hatred.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

Example: A central tenet of materialism is that consciousness exists exclusively in the brain.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

“The idealism of the 1960s was yielding to the materialism of the 1980s, a new preoccupation with the navel-gazing, ego-stroking life,” Grynbaum writes.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 14, 2025

"All our basic needs are taken care of. It is clean and peaceful – the children can play basketball or go swimming after school. We don't need shopping malls or all that materialism."

From BBC • May 20, 2025

I talk about charity and questioning Mummy’s materialism.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart