material.

1. Important enough to affect a judgment, outcome, or legal matter.

2. The physical matter from which something is made or can be made.

3. Information, writing, or other content available for use or development.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• material difference
• material evidence

On the page

The missing record made a material difference to the assessment.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Adjective more material; most material for significance. Material and content nouns usually uncountable; plural materials for kinds or supplies.. Noun use is uncountable.. Noun use is uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, evaluation, qualification. Commonness: moderately common.