MEANING
1. Someone who gives money and material possessions especially high importance in life.
2. Someone who regards physical matter as fundamental to reality; also used to describe that philosophical view.
Use it for
describing a character’s priorities; distinguishing pursuit of possessions from a philosophical position; analyzing the values attributed to an economic actorSeparates prioritizing possessions from believing that physical reality is fundamental. Academic functions: Theory / Conceptual Language.
Words that belong together
- an uncompromising materialist
- a committed materialist
- a materialist’s priorities
On the page
Calling the character a materialist concerns the importance she places on possessions, not a theory of knowledge.
The critic asks whether the portrait of the businessman as a materialist is supported by his actions.
The materialist account explains mental processes through physical conditions without denying that experiences occur.
A philosophical materialist need not place unusual importance on acquiring possessions.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- materialist
Usage notes
Countable noun: materialist, materialists. Also an adjective for a materialist philosophical view. No routine adjective comparative or superlative. Register: formal. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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