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

Asian markets were hit particularly hard; a monthslong rally brutally ended in South Korea, where industry is heavily reliant on raw materials sourced from the Middle East. —Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026

Zekauskas also said that, to a degree, raw material inflation is passed through to Linde's customer base through its various contracts. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2026

Petrochemical industries depend on steady supplies of crude oil and natural gas liquids as raw materials. —André O. Hudson, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2026

This is where raw materials arrive for processing. —Jeff Wilson, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 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