51Թ

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material

[muh-teer-ee-uhl]

noun

  1. the substance or substances of which a thing is made or composed.

    Stone is a durable material.

  2. anything that serves as crude or raw matter to be used or developed.

    Wood pulp is the raw material from which paper is made.

  3. any constituent element.

  4. a textile fabric.

    material for a dress.

  5. a group of ideas, facts, data, etc., that may provide the basis for or be incorporated into some integrated work.

    to gather material for a history of North Carolina;

    to write material for a comedy show.

  6. materials, the articles or apparatus needed to make or do something.

    writing materials.

  7. a person considered as having qualities suited to a particular sphere of activity.

    The boy's teachers did not think he was college material.



adjective

  1. formed or consisting of matter; physical; corporeal.

    the material world.

    Antonyms:
  2. relating to, concerned with, or involving matter.

    material forces.

  3. pertaining to the physical rather than the spiritual or intellectual aspect of things.

    material comforts.

  4. pertaining to or characterized by an undue interest in corporeal things; unspiritual.

  5. characterized by an overriding interest in wealth and possessions and the consumption of luxury goods and services.

    You could probably call him a material guy, as he’s had expensive tastes and a lust for fashion from the time he was a kid.

  6. of substantial import; of much consequence; important.

    Your support will make a material difference in the success of our program.

    Synonyms: ,
    Antonyms:
  7. pertinent or essential (usually followed byto ).

    a question not material to the subject at hand.

  8. Law.likely to influence the determination of a case.

    material evidence.

  9. Philosophy.of or relating to matter as distinguished from form.

material

/ əˈɪəɪə /

noun

  1. the substance of which a thing is made or composed; component or constituent matter

    raw material

  2. facts, notes, etc, that a finished work may be based on or derived from

    enough material for a book

  3. cloth or fabric

  4. a person who has qualities suitable for a given occupation, training, etc

    that boy is not university material

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or composed of physical substance; corporeal

  2. philosophy composed of or relating to physical as opposed to mental or spiritual substance

    the material world

  3. of, relating to, or affecting economic or physical wellbeing

    material ease

  4. of or concerned with physical rather than spiritual interests

  5. of great import or consequence

    of material benefit to the workers

  6. (often foll by to) relevant

  7. philosophy of or relating to matter as opposed to form

  8. law relevant to the issue before court: applied esp to facts or testimony of much significance

    a material witness

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • materialness noun
  • prematerial adjective
  • quasi-material adjective
  • quasi-materially adverb
  • supermaterial noun
  • transmaterial adjective
  • unmaterial adjective
  • unmaterially adverb
  • ˈٱԱ noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of material1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Late Latin ٱ “of, belonging to matter,” equivalent to ٱ() “woody part of a tree, substance” ( matter ) + - -al 1
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of material1

C14: via French from Late Latin ٱ, from Latin ٱ matter
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Synonym Study

See matter.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Wearing hard hats they navigate their way through construction material, issuing instructions to a team of workers - all of whom are men.

From

The question of whether she’ll meet her material needs vanishes practically overnight, but her whirlwind romance spins so fast that her pleasure center and perception of reality dull even faster.

From

"We're looking at how a memorial is created and maintained, choosing designers and learning what materials will stand the test of time," she explains.

From

"Iran has been at a near-zero breakout for months," she told the BBC, referring to the time it would take Iran to acquire enough fissile material for one bomb if it chose to do so.

From

Craig, you know what it’s like working with source material, and we knew the fate of fan-favorite character Joel, who dies in Part 2 of the video game.

From

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When To Use

What is a basic definition of material?

Material refers to a thing that something else is made out of. Material can also refer to cloth or can be used to describe something that is made of matter and exists in the physical world. Material has many other senses as a noun and an adjective.If something is a housing material, it is an item that is used to build a house. Nearly anything could be a material, as long as it is possible to use it to make something else. In this sense, material is similar to the word ingredient.



  • Real-life examples: Stone, wood, metal, bamboo, and brick are used as building materials. Many toys have plastic as their primary material. Glass is a common material for windows and containers.


  • Used in a sentence: The box was made out of some sort of spongy material. 


Material is also used to refer to the cloth or fabrics that are used in weaving, sewing, or knitting.



  • Real-life examples: Wool, silk, polyester, cotton, and velvet are some common materials used to make clothing and many other products.


  • Used in a sentence: The dress was made using a very soft material. 


Material is used to describe something that is made of matter and exists in our physical reality. Think about something that isn’t material, like a ghost. A ghost is not material because it cannot be detected with any of our senses and is not made out of anything we can understand. Thoughts, feelings, and ideas are also not material. You can’t touch them or see them. In this sense, material is often used to contrast terms like spiritual, intangible, and metaphysical.



  • Real-life examples: Everything that we can experience or detect using our senses is material. This includes all things that exist in our universe, such as people, animals, rocks, water, and the stars.


  • Used in a sentence: Philosophers often think beyond the material world.


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