materialistic

adjective

ma·​te·​ri·​al·​is·​tic mə-ˌtir-ē-ə-ˈli-stik 

1

: overly concerned or preoccupied with material possessions rather than with intellectual or spiritual things

We had always watched The Beverly Hillbillies, and the Andy Griffith Show, where the country folks had to set things straight for the more materialistic city folk.

—Artie Ann Bates

Paying high prices for furniture and art is surely a reflection of an increasingly materialistic age.

—Carol Vogel

2

: of, relating to, or deriving from the theory or doctrine of materialism (see materialism sense 1)

With the so-called Enlightenment, however, a linear, reductionistic, and materialistic view of the universe arose.

—David Fideler

materialistically

mə-ˌtir-ē-ə-ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

The sin of disobedience to the heavenly vision cannot be atoned for with dollars, and the spiritual loss is highly visible in a self-centered, materialistically minded people.

—Robertson McQuilkin

Examples of materialistic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Shifts from an agrarian community culture to materialistic urban industry left their mark. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 28 May 2025

From a purely materialistic point of view, becoming a parent means transitioning into an existence crammed with a mind-boggling amount of stuff—stuff to acquire, assemble and incorporate into your (increasingly hectic) daily routine. —Darryn King, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025

Here’s a radical thought: Maybe their ruthlessly materialistic older brother, Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), will take a cue from Piper and embrace a new way to live. —Noel Murray, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025

Shadow: Fear, resistant to change, unstable, materialistic. —Lisa Stardust, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1832, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for materialistic

• deuteronomistic
• imperialistic
• nondeterministic
• nonrelativistic
• oligopolistic
• particularistic
• sociolinguistic
• uncharacteristic
• universalistic
• agonistic
• altruistic
• animistic