materialist
Americannoun
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a person who is markedly more concerned with material things than with spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values.
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an adherent of philosophical materialism.
adjective
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concerned with material things; materialistic.
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of or relating to philosophical materialism or its adherents.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of materialist
From the New Latin word māteriālista, dating back to 1660–70. See material, -ist
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.
A strict materialist explanation must posit a so-far-unknown capability of the brain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025
In 1967, Mr. Celant noticed that some members of the postwar generation of young artists were using humor, provocation and unconventional materials to rebel against both older artistic orthodoxies and materialist pop culture.
From New York Times ● Dec. 23, 2023
In “Garden,” she questions the power she ascribed to materialist totems— like a wedding, a house and a garden— to bring her happiness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2023
If the "Sex and the City" universe is a fantasia of materialist gloss tethered to reality by genuine truths, then the personifications of this idea should maintain a crumb of constancy.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2023
I am, for example, a materialist largely because I was brought up to believe in the central mystery of the Church—the redemptive Incarnation.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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.
