as in mercenary
having or marked by interest in material possessions as opposed to intellectual or spiritual things
His essay criticises the materialistic culture of today's world.
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Recent Examples of materialistic
Heather is accused of hiding behind her humor, Lisa of hiding behind materialistic things, and Angie of hiding behind her sharp tongue, for example.
—
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2026
Far too many became trapped in a materialistic outlook where success was based on acquiring wealth.
—Jane Goodall, Time, 12 Nov. 2025
Which is to say, this isn’t the story of a greedy, materialistic man who suffers a crisis of conscience while trying to pry a priceless treasure away from an uneducated hick who doesn’t know any better.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
That newness may show itself as an increasingly brighter outlook; a sense of having a higher, more spiritual selfhood; and a growing realization that the old way of thinking of ourselves as materialistic mortals is not merely superficial or a thing of the past, but has never actually been accurate.
—Russ Gerber, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for materialistic
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2026
Far too many became trapped in a materialistic outlook where success was based on acquiring wealth.
—Jane Goodall, Time, 12 Nov. 2025
Which is to say, this isn’t the story of a greedy, materialistic man who suffers a crisis of conscience while trying to pry a priceless treasure away from an uneducated hick who doesn’t know any better.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
That newness may show itself as an increasingly brighter outlook; a sense of having a higher, more spiritual selfhood; and a growing realization that the old way of thinking of ourselves as materialistic mortals is not merely superficial or a thing of the past, but has never actually been accurate.
—Russ Gerber, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for materialistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for materialistic
Adjective
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At the center is Russia’s Africa Corps, formerly Wagner Group — a mercenary network that has propped up President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s government since 2018.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
12 June 2026
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But even measured in the most mercenary terms, using Medi-Cal funds to get Flores mental health care is a good investment.—
Megan Greenwell,
Bloomberg,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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For food companies, switching to another supplier or type of protein isn’t a superficial switch.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
21 June 2026
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Some suggest his superficial charm is giving a false picture of his political talents.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2026
Adjective
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Nature with its blind eyes and greedy fingers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 June 2026
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At his sentencing in 2024, Bailyn, the prosecutor, described Lorquet as a greedy criminal who fleeced his country at one of its weakest moments in history.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Materialistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/materialistic. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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