IMMATERIAL Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

immaterial

adjective

ˌi-mə-ˈtir-ē-əl

Definition of immaterial

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

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 None of these readings are so emphatic as to render the others immaterial, and the pervading ambivalence paired with a steady but creeping pace could turn off viewers who just want a good mystery to solve. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 12 June 2026 The challenge was to create something that feels almost immaterial, while still making a real shoe. — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 26 May 2026 Portofiro and the baroque universe surrounding it—communists on-world, techno-fascists offplanet, and all manner of augmentoids and spooks in the immaterial planes between—can make for a dizzying read. — Alex James Kane, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026 Local women are invited to share still-raw memories, to grapple together with the kinds of things that would be immaterial to the courts. — Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for immaterial

Recent Examples of Synonyms for immaterial

Adjective

The story seems a spiritual festival on the German-Polish border become an ensemble dramedy about healing and reinvention.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
But Watts, who is well-versed in gnosticism — an esoteric, religious philosophy that places emphasis on the spiritual realm and obtaining wisdom about oneself — seemed to have had a profound impact on McCollough’s worldview.

— Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of spiritual

Adjective

But according to Adobe’s recent research, as many as half of customers will disengage with a brand if promotions feel irrelevant or mistimed.

— Sharat Potharaju, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
This view has not been heard in the dizzying din of the emotional outburst and fearmongering of the side show and irrelevant conversation about transwomen in sports inexplicably occurring in the context of the WNBA.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of irrelevant

Adjective

Followers of the Abrahamic religions are supposed to treat God as immaterial and incorporeal, yet these early Yahweh worshippers imagined him as fully embodied.

— Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
Positioned as a large-scale genre event, the series updates the legendary SFX property with a contemporary political and social edge, with Shun Oguri leading the cast as a detective hunting a seemingly incorporeal killer.

— Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026

Definition of incorporeal

Adjective

That Dante lived during both the 13th and 14th centuries — and that Tosches’ movements as his novel’s protagonist take place at the start of the 21st century — means nothing in Schnabel’s meta-metaphysical realm.

— A.D. Amorosi, SPIN, 6 Aug. 2026
The war on language is more metaphysical than just the policing of proper social justice terminology, Williams argues.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026

Definition of metaphysical

Adjective

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
The first part of the book is committed to a ground-clearing exercise, describing the various concepts of the nonmaterial soul that feature in many different religious belief systems.

— Denis Alexander, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023

Definition of nonmaterial

Adjective

Exercises involving public safety partners, facility operators, legal advisors, executive leadership and technical personnel often reveal procedural gaps that remain invisible during routine operations.

— Bill Edwards, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
The sector has spent decades treating this capital as either invisible or suspicious.

— Alaa Murabit, STAT, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of invisible

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

Definition of nonphysical

Browse Nearby Words

immanent

immaterial

immateriality

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Immaterial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immaterial. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of immaterial

adjective

Example Sentences

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