raw material

noun

: crude or processed material that can be converted by manufacture, processing, or combination into a new and useful product

Wheat … is raw material for the flour mill …

—C. A. Koepke

broadly : something with a potential for improvement, development, or elaboration

… perplexities are often the raw material of discoveries.

—Agnes M. Clerke

Synonyms of raw material

• potential
• material

Examples of raw material in a Sentence

His experiences during the war were the raw material for the story.

Recent Examples on the Web

The facility will work across the battery life cycle, from raw materials and vehicle applications to recycling. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026

The cost of building a turbine has climbed between 30% to 40% since 2020, largely because of the price of raw materials. — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026

Its technology mechanically processes raw materials, such as wood pulp, into textile fibers without dissolving them. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026

During the 19th century, factories and processing plants brought raw materials together in unprecedented quantities and consolidated their unwanted residues in the same sites. — Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for raw material

• arterial
• bacterial
• ethereal
• funereal
• imperial
• sidereal
• venereal
• antibacterial
• biomaterial
• mycobacterial
• cereal
• virial

Kids Definition

raw material

noun

: something from which a useful or desirable product can be manufactured or produced

wheat and rye are the raw materials for a flour mill

collect raw material for writing a story