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source material

American  

noun

  1. original, authoritative, or basic materials utilized in research, as diaries or manuscripts.


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.

See Examples For:

But it is a bit ironic, given how freely the producers have played with their source material.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 4, 2026

An improvement on the source material: HBO’s new show Lanterns takes a character with an embarrassing history and makes him fascinating.

From Slate Aug. 25, 2026

Minghella’s film is an utterly beautiful and romantic story, a daunting feat considering how equally beautiful, though different, its source material is.

From Salon Jul. 28, 2026

Villarreal: There’s an overwhelming amount of source material from the Kennedy side, but less so on Carolyn.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 4, 2026

Pulcinella is sparklingly inventive with its source material but it is nevertheless the musical equivalent of placing the Art Deco spire of Manhattan's Chrysler Building on top of Christopher Wren's Greenwich Hospital.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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