immaterial

adjective im·ma·te·ri·al \ ˌi-mə-ˈtir-ē-əl \

Updated on: 29 Mar 2018

Definition of immaterial

1 : not consisting of matter : incorporeal

2 : of no substantial consequence : unimportant

See immaterial defined for English-language learners

See immaterial defined for kids

Examples of immaterial in a Sentence

Whether or not he intended to cause problems is immaterial.
The fact that she is a woman is immaterial and irrelevant.

Recent Examples of immaterial from the Web

Whether or not Trump saw McCabe writing memos is totally immaterial.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "Donald Trump sure looks like he is planning to fire Robert Mueller," 18 Mar. 2018
Reines swats away the usual criticisms of Clinton’s campaign, dismissing its tactical (not campaigning in Wisconsin) and personal (all that Clinton baggage) issues as being immaterial because similar criticisms were thrown at Al Gore and John Kerry.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "Philippe Reines has a curious theory for how Democrats can win in 2020.," 15 Mar. 2018
Yet the state of the economy proved immaterial on election night.

— alexander nazaryan, Newsweek, "Can Donald Trump, the Most Unpopular President Ever, Save Republicans From a Massive Defeat in 2018?," 21 Feb. 2018
Although a few states require parents to promise that their children receive instruction in reading, grammar, mathematics, science and social studies, what content is taught and what is learned is immaterial.

— valerie strauss, Washington Post, "Trump and DeVos love ‘Education Savings Accounts.’ You should know how they really work.," 12 Feb. 2018
Fortunately, the content of these cyclical showdowns is mostly dated and immaterial.

— virginia heffernan, WIRED, "Scrolling, Rickrolling, and Trolling," 12 Mar. 2018
In the end, said many of the women who spoke to The Times, the goal is for gender to be immaterial.

— yvonne villarreal, latimes.com, "Female directors from 'Jessica Jones' and more are leading the charge on TV like never before," 9 Mar. 2018
In the meantime, even though March 5th is no longer a hard deadline, some in Congress are trying to find a legislative fix which would render the court case immaterial.

— The Economist, "Deal or No DealWhat happens if Congress fails to make a deal on DACA by March 5th?," 22 Feb. 2018
Whether the newbies actually forgot the plays or not is immaterial.

— chris fedor, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers reconvene for second 'training camp,' hope to stay on fast track in final months," 21 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'immaterial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of immaterial

Middle English immaterial, from Late Latin immaterialis, from Latin in- + Late Latin materialis material

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First Known Use: 14th century

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immaterial Synonyms

IMMATERIAL Defined for English Language Learners

immaterial

adjective

Definition of immaterial for English Language Learners

: not important or significant

IMMATERIAL Defined for Kids

immaterial

adjective im·ma·te·ri·al \ ˌi-mə-ˈtir-ē-əl \

Definition of immaterial for Students

: not important : insignificant

The new evidence is immaterial.

Law Dictionary

immaterial

adjective im·ma·te·ri·al \ ˌi-mə-ˈtir-ē-əl \

legal Definition of immaterial

: not essential, pertinent, or of consequence

the jury could have discounted the medical history evidence, or while accepting its accuracy, found it immaterial
—Willett v. State, 911 S.W.2d 937 (1995)

— compare irrelevant

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