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Meaning & use

material

noun, adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/məˈtɪəriəl/
US/məˈtɪriəl/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable or uncountable

    A physical substance that things are made from, such as wood, cloth, or metal.

    Grammar: Countable when referring to types (e.g., building materials) and uncountable when referring to the substance in general.

    Patterns

    • building materials
    • raw materials
    • a strong material
    • material for something

    The house is built from local materials.

    This material is soft and easy to sew.

    We need to buy materials for the science project.

  2. noununcountable

    Information or ideas used for a book, report, or discussion.

    Grammar: Uncountable; often used with 'for' or 'on'.

    Patterns

    • material for a book
    • reading material
    • source material

    She gathered material for her article.

    The teacher gave us material on the history of the city.

    That incident provided material for his novel.

  3. nouncountable or uncountable

    Cloth used for making clothes or curtains.

    Grammar: Countable when talking about a type: a soft material; uncountable in general: made of material.

    Patterns

    • a piece of material
    • woolen material
    • curtain material

    I bought some material to make a dress.

    This material feels like silk.

    She chose a light material for the summer curtains.

  4. adjectivenot comparableformallegal

    Important or relevant enough to affect a decision or situation.

    Grammar: Not usually compared; often used in legal or formal contexts.

    Patterns

    • material evidence
    • material fact
    • material to something

    The judge said the new evidence was material to the case.

    That is not material to our discussion.

    Only material facts need to be included in the report.

  5. adjectivenot comparable

    Relating to physical things and money rather than to the mind or spirit.

    Grammar: Not usually compared; contrasts with spiritual or emotional.

    Patterns

    • material possessions
    • material wealth
    • material world

    He cares more about material things than about art.

    They lost all their material possessions in the fire.

    The novel contrasts spiritual and material values.

Word forms

pluralmaterials

Common combinations

raw materials
The factory imports raw materials from abroad.
building materials
The cost of building materials has risen.
reading material
She took some reading material for the journey.
material evidence
The police found material evidence at the scene.
material possessions
He gave away most of his material possessions.

Synonyms and how they differ

substance
A more technical word for a particular kind of matter; 'material' is broader and used for things like cloth.
fabric
Specifically cloth; 'material' can also mean information or physical stuff.
relevant
A general word meaning connected to the topic; 'material' is more formal and often legal.
significant
Means important; 'material' in the legal sense means important enough to affect a decision.

Opposites

immaterialirrelevantspiritual

Word family

materially adverb
In a significant way; or in terms of physical things.
materialism noun
The belief that physical things and money are the most important.
materialize verb
To become real or to appear.
materialistic adjective
Caring too much about money and possessions.

Commonly confused: material or maternal? material or materiel?

material vs maternal

Relating to a mother; 'material' relates to substance or importance.

material vs materiel

Military equipment and supplies; 'material' is the general word for substance or information.

Practice

The lawyer argued that the new document was ___ to the case and should be considered.

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