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

• 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

Life Cycle Assessment: More Than Just A Carbon Number Life Cycle Assessment measures the environmental footprint of a product or technology across its entire life cycle—from raw material extraction to production and delivery. —Michele Demers, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025

Lyne took that raw material and drenched it in sheen. —arkansasonline.com, 10 July 2025

The jeweler also effected a 20 percent price increase, due to the combination of the new U.S. tariffs and significant cost increases on raw materials, including gold. —Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 7 July 2025

The mills simultaneously reported paying higher prices for raw materials, alongside all their industry counterparts. —Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 3 July 2025

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