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
- antimaterialist noun
- materialistic adjective
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.
In one of several misleading rhetorical sleights, Ms. Goldstein credits the materialist focus of Greek philosophy with inventing the secular, a modern concept.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
“Now that’s a Nüwü spiritual way of looking at things, as opposed to this materialist representation of monetary wealth and consumption and greed.”
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 12, 2025
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
Rastafari reject materialist values and often practice a strict oneness with nature, eating only unprocessed foods as part of “Ital” their faith’s vegetarian diet.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 2, 2023
But we have no documents from the Natufian culture, so when dealing with ancient periods the materialist school reigns supreme.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
