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 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 If strict fidelity gets in the way, it can be treated as immaterial. — Literary Hub, 19 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 Whether a season ends in Game 7 of the first round or Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final is immaterial. — Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for immaterial

Recent Examples of Synonyms for immaterial

Adjective

In his work, Hujar returned again and again to the spiritual life of his sitters—an invisible presence in his images.

— Hilton Als, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
The principal of my Christian high school regularly attributed world happenings—terrorist attacks, presidents elected or not elected, the price of gas—to unseen spiritual warfare.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026

Definition of spiritual

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

Varsha’s mysterious memories are apparently linked to a much larger set of crises, and in order to make sense of these connections, both Dinu and Ghosh will have to dispense with the material and tread into the metaphysical.

— Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
For me, the metaphysical questions always come first, and the story emerges organically from the questions.

— Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 19 July 2026

Definition of metaphysical

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 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

In his work, Hujar returned again and again to the spiritual life of his sitters—an invisible presence in his images.

— Hilton Als, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
His arms are outstretched and his shirt, worn like a jacket over a T-shirt, billows behind him as if blown by an invisible wind.

— Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2026

Definition of invisible

Adjective

Whitehead’s noirish début tells the story of a Black elevator inspector with supernatural gifts, who is framed for an accident amid a sectarian struggle to define the cities of the future.

— Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 July 2026
The Blumhouse production sees Chastain portray Ursula, a wife and mother, as well as a supernatural entity that haunts her family’s home.

— Hannah Malach, InStyle, 21 July 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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Style

“Immaterial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immaterial. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of immaterial

adjective

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