materialism
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materialism
- /məˈtɪɹiəlɪzəm/ US
- /məˈtɪəɹiəlɪzəm/ UK
Where it comes from
Borrowed from French matérialisme. By surface analysis, material + -ism.
noun materialisms
-
Constant concern over material possessions and wealth; a great or excessive regard for worldly concerns.
We accept that a third of the population live on the poverty line. We accept that only a handful of the most exceptional of the children of the poor will make it through to a third-level education. We accept massive examples of greed and dishonesty in public life. We except the values of materialism
Similar: hylism, hylicism · Opposite: spirituality
-
The philosophical belief that nothing exists beyond what is physical.
The result of the labours of philosophy appeared to be a total scepticism on the most important subjects of hu man duty and expectation. The irregular fears of a future state had been supplanted by the materialism of Epicurus; and this system—if system it may be called, which left them without a God
Similar: physicalism, philosophical materialism, thingism, hylism, hylicism, hylozoism · Opposite: idealism
-
Synonym of matter, material substances in the aggregate.
Similar: matter, material substances in the aggregate
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: physicalism, philistinism, material, hylicism, somatism, acquisitiveness, greed, avarice, cupidity, consumerism, commercialism, pragmatism, utilitarianism, naturalism, covetousness, rapacity
Translations
Every language
noun concern over material possessions
| Español | materialismo |
|---|---|
| Português | materialismo |
| Français | matérialisme |
| Deutsch | Materialismus |
| Italiano | materialismo |
| Ελληνικά | υλισμός ylismós |
| Română | materialism |
| Русский | материали́зм materialízm |
| العربية | مَادِّيَّة māddiyya |
noun philosophical belief
| Español | materialismo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 唯物論 yuibutsu-ron, 唯物主義 yuibutsushugi |
| 中文 | 唯物主義 /唯物主义 wéiwùzhǔyì, 唯物論 /唯物论 wéiwùlùn |
| Português | materialismo |
| Français | matérialisme |
| Deutsch | Materialismus |
| Ελληνικά | υλισμός ylismós |
| Română | materialism |
| Русский | материали́зм materialízm |
| العربية | مَادِّيَّة māddiyya |
Talk about this word "materialism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/materialism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. materialism. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/materialism "materialism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/materialism.Cite this
@misc{materialism_2026,
title = {materialism},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/materialism},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
