as in mercenary
having or marked by interest in material possessions as opposed to intellectual or spiritual things
His essay criticises the materialistic culture of today's world.
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Recent Examples of materialistic
Far too many became trapped in a materialistic outlook where success was based on acquiring wealth.
—
Jane Goodall, Time, 12 Nov. 2025
Which is to say, this isn’t the story of a greedy, materialistic man who suffers a crisis of conscience while trying to pry a priceless treasure away from an uneducated hick who doesn’t know any better.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
That newness may show itself as an increasingly brighter outlook; a sense of having a higher, more spiritual selfhood; and a growing realization that the old way of thinking of ourselves as materialistic mortals is not merely superficial or a thing of the past, but has never actually been accurate.
—Russ Gerber, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct. 2025
Some of these people spend a lot of money and live incredibly materialistic lives.
—Morgan Housel, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for materialistic
Jane Goodall, Time, 12 Nov. 2025
Which is to say, this isn’t the story of a greedy, materialistic man who suffers a crisis of conscience while trying to pry a priceless treasure away from an uneducated hick who doesn’t know any better.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
That newness may show itself as an increasingly brighter outlook; a sense of having a higher, more spiritual selfhood; and a growing realization that the old way of thinking of ourselves as materialistic mortals is not merely superficial or a thing of the past, but has never actually been accurate.
—Russ Gerber, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct. 2025
Some of these people spend a lot of money and live incredibly materialistic lives.
—Morgan Housel, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for materialistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for materialistic
Adjective
-
Who once set us in the deep a password, lock and mercenary.—
Timmy Straw,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Following the 2004 Man on Fire movie, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is ready to take the reins from Denzel Washington as the leading ex-mercenary.—
Madeleine Janz,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Many of Barbara’s dreams are superficial and retrograde.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
3 Apr. 2026
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Engagement across these positions may be either fleeting or sustained, but is not inherently superficial.—
Manuela Moscoso,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Some greedy and power-hungry people don’t like it.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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The invader is a skillful art restorer, Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), who’s been hired by Julian’s greedy children, Barnaby (James Corden) and Sallie (Jessica Gunning), to work, or pose, as their father’s new assistant.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Materialistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/materialistic. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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