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 Word Forms

• materialistically adverb
• antimaterialistic adjective
• antimaterialistically adverb
• nonmaterialistic adjective
• nonmaterialistically adverb
• semimaterialistic adjective
• unmaterialistic adjective
• unmaterialistically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of materialistic¹

materialist + -ic

Example Sentences

The story originally satirized materialistic baby boomers stymied by shifting gender roles.

From Los Angeles Times

"I always had these yearnings for a lifestyle that was different to the materialistic lifestyle," he explains.

From BBC

Mozart and his librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte, meant to make us squirm as they uncover our insecurities and the faults in our materialistic facades.

From Los Angeles Times

"I don't have anything particularly sentimental, it's all materialistic, it can be replaced when it gets broken."

From BBC

He cares little about materialistic notions of success.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• greedy 
• profane 
• secular 
• sensual 
• temporal