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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.

I cannot make the straight-faced argument that the worst “Scary Movies” were held back by their source material.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

Hasbro trained large-language models using certified source material to create AI-native versions of its characters.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

Schrader argued that AI still depends on human artists as source material, even as it grows increasingly adept at mimicking their voices and structures.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

In many cases, critics frame objections around “historical accuracy” or fidelity to source material, while supporters argue mythology and fiction have always evolved through reinterpretation and artistic adaptation.

From Salon • May 16, 2026

This was primary source material, research papers based on direct experimental data, involved theoretical constructions utilizing a complex vocabulary and containing a wealth of original ideas—and he was breaking his head on it.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

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