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
-
Following coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance instead.—
Molly Quell,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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His litany of urgently treacly smashes was the soundtrack of that era, both a master class in minimal form that updated the mercenary structures of the Brill Building and Frank Sinatra, and also a cool and controlled reimagining of the sensual soul music of the late ’60s through the mid-70s.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Libras can be superficial because the sign is ruled by Venus, which appreciates beauty, as Sarah calls Bonnie out for after her surgery.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
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Visible to them on the other side of the curtain, separated only by that superficial barrier, was Tim Connelly.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
That disloyal, greedy kid at the center of college football’s first apparent holdout?—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
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That's the part worth hammering, not that Nike is greedy or calculating.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Materialistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/materialistic. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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