materialistic
materialistic Lexical Profile
materialistic Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Excessively concerned with physical comfort, money, and the acquisition of material possessions rather than spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values.
"Critics argued that the holiday season had become overly commercialized and materialistic."
Relating to or characterized by the philosophical doctrine of materialism, which holds that physical matter is the only fundamental reality.
"The nineteenth-century philosopher proposed a strictly materialistic explanation of human consciousness."
Word Nuance & Usage
In everyday conversation, 'materialistic' carries a negative connotation regarding greed or superficiality, whereas in academic philosophy, 'materialist' is generally preferred as the neutral term for someone who adheres to philosophical materialism.
• Rhymes for materialistic
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the mid-19th century from 'materialist' plus the adjectival suffix '-ic', ultimately tracing back to the Late Latin 'materialis' ('of or belonging to matter'), from 'materia' ('matter, timber, or substance').