materiality

noun

ma·​te·​ri·​al·​i·​ty mə-ˌtir-ē-ˈa-lə-tē 

plural materialities

1

: the quality or state of being material

2

: something that is material

Synonyms

• actuality
• case
• fact
• reality

Examples of materiality in a Sentence

preferred a single materiality to a slew of hypotheticals

the materiality of that fact is not in dispute

Recent Examples on the Web

Next came 2023’s Materials in Flux and last year’s Being Home, where the programs explored more complex dynamics of materiality, domesticity, and socio-economic systems. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 14 Apr. 2025

The 34-year-old often engages with the concept of ever-shifting time and materiality as a tool for preserving and archiving realities. —Sarah Quiñones Wolfson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025

The duo’s work continues to influence contemporary public art by challenging notions of scale, materiality and viewer engagement. —Courtney Lane, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2025

Or a piece of machinery is rendered perfectly in terms of materiality, reflection and mass, but the machine includes gears or controls that have no clear function. —Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for materiality

• bisexuality
• collegiality
• conditionality
• congeniality
• conventionality
• conviviality
• dimensionality
• directionality
• emotionality
• essentiality
• eventuality
• grammaticality