1
as in spiritual
not composed of matter
it is only possible to study immaterial forces like gravity by observing their effects on the physical world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irrelevant
not having anything to do with the matter at hand
while undoubtedly upsetting, that story is immaterial to the question of why you are late
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of immaterial
An immaterial figure who lives where there is no light, his role is to kidnap children who are too noisy and disobedient to their parents' wishes.
—
Photovogue, Vogue, 27 June 2025
In 1726 the British Empire was already expanding in the name of trade, trading the immaterial language Swift wrote in for material goods.
—Joanna Walsh
june 18, Literary Hub, 18 June 2025
Emotion as Added Value One recurring and essential cog that keeps the watch business ticking remains immaterial: emotion.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 17 Apr. 2025
One’s major is immaterial, particularly in an economy as dynamic as ours.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for immaterial
Photovogue, Vogue, 27 June 2025
In 1726 the British Empire was already expanding in the name of trade, trading the immaterial language Swift wrote in for material goods.
—Joanna Walsh
june 18, Literary Hub, 18 June 2025
Emotion as Added Value One recurring and essential cog that keeps the watch business ticking remains immaterial: emotion.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 17 Apr. 2025
One’s major is immaterial, particularly in an economy as dynamic as ours.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for immaterial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for immaterial
Adjective
-
Because of the revolts, Compton says, drumming and African spiritual practices were eventually criminalized in the colonies.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
23 Aug. 2025
-
This is perhaps the best day of the year to think about your spiritual values or the basic things that guide you.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
So, the question is: if it is known that people are bound to make errors, can humans build systems that make those irrelevant?—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Hermes stress that their technology is in the remote launch and control of drones, and the platform is irrelevant to them.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
In fact, magical life has the potential to be even more radically incorporeal than our own.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
-
To the casual observer, the data industry can seem incorporeal, its products conjured out of weightless bits.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Vendors will offer beads, minerals, gemstones, custom jewelry, fossils, artifacts, and metaphysical stones.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Aug. 2025
-
The surrounding wave paintings add emotional turbulence, invoking both the physical might and metaphysical vastness of the sea.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Put simply, superheated plasma was being tested as fuel, but the temperatures melted any sort of solid container, so the experiments used nonmaterial vessels formed from extremely powerful magnetic fields.—
Werner Herzog,
The New Yorker,
21 Aug. 2023
-
The author excludes them all, asserting that belief in any kind of nonmaterial, ethereal world lacks empirical support.—
Denis Alexander,
Washington Post,
17 Mar. 2023
Adjective
-
As the illuminated side of the moon faces away from Earth, new moons are invisible to observers on the ground unless the moon passes directly in front of the sun — an eclipse.—
Jesse Emspak,
Space.com,
22 Aug. 2025
-
What makes the new model notable is how it was built, with a few advances that would be invisible to consumers.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This is perhaps best illustrated through the comedy woven throughout the film’s supernatural narrative.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
21 Aug. 2025
-
The taking of ritualistic body-part trophies may have also been part of a supernatural practice, according to the study.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
In Ayurveda, Prana, the life force carried by the breath, is understood to nourish both the mind and body and can be viewed as a nonphysical substance, finer than oxygen.—
Trisha Swift,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
-
In accounting, intangible assets are nonphysical possessions including such things as brands and intellectual property, software, mineral rights ‒ and contracts.—
Alexander Coolidge,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Immaterial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immaterial. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share