immaterial

adjective

ˌi-mə-ˈtir-ē-əl How to pronounce immaterial (audio)
Definition of immaterialnext
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 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
  1. spiritual
  2. irrelevant
  3. incorporeal
  4. metaphysical
  5. nonmaterial
  6. invisible
  7. supernatural
  8. nonphysical
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
  • No one explicitly bans caffeine or alcohol, but after days of obsessing over my biomarkers, both begin to seem entirely irrelevant.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Exceptions whose labor powers one of the most profitable storytelling machines in the world, while their mental needs are treated as inconvenient or irrelevant.
    — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 23 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
  • Majdi described his son’s birth in near-metaphysical terms, his own grief as shattering.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • 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
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 fact, the team had a full biscuit guide to ensure the lions always looked just right—never supernatural or oversaturated.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The film blends contemporary Mandopop, ancient mythology, comedy and supernatural adventure.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of supernatural
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

“Immaterial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immaterial. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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