materialistic

[ muh-teer-ee-uh-lis-tik ]

adjective

1. excessively concerned with physical comforts or the acquisition of wealth and material possessions, rather than with spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values.
2. adhering to the philosophy of materialism, a theory that regards matter as constituting the universe and all its phenomena.

Other Words From

• ma·teri·al·isti·cal·ly adverb
• anti·ma·teri·al·istic adjective
• anti·ma·teri·al·isti·cal·ly adverb
• nonma·teri·al·istic adjective
• nonma·teri·al·isti·cal·ly adverb
• semi·ma·teri·al·istic adjective
• unma·teri·al·istic adjective
• unma·teri·al·isti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of materialistic¹

materialist + -ic

Example Sentences

I love stuff, especially stuff that feels like it might add an element of personalization in a society that so often subscribes to materialistic monoculture.

From Slate

He cares little about materialistic notions of success.

From Los Angeles Times

Later they turn to kingly and materialistic protections against their wandering.

From Salon

I realized that I’d been pretty materialistic, a “living in the moment” kind of a thing and not really thinking much about the long term.

From Slate

The research team used six different questionnaires to determine the extent to which the participants had a materialistic attitude and tended to compare themselves with others, whether they used social media more actively or passively, whether they were addicted to social media, how stressed and how satisfied they were with their lives.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• greedy
• profane
• secular
• sensual
• temporal