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
The film is written to the anxious and, yes, materialistic beats of the here and now.
—
David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 10 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
Some of these people spend a lot of money and live incredibly materialistic lives.
—Morgan Housel, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
The track pokes fun at consumerism and a materialistic society constantly seeking the next best thing, a theme that remains relevant nearly 45 years later.
—Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for materialistic
David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 10 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
Some of these people spend a lot of money and live incredibly materialistic lives.
—Morgan Housel, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
The track pokes fun at consumerism and a materialistic society constantly seeking the next best thing, a theme that remains relevant nearly 45 years later.
—Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for materialistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for materialistic
Adjective
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In 2023, Alekseyev was sent by the Russian military to negotiate with Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private mercenary group, during the Wagner group’s mutiny.—
Anna Chernova,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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At the time Alekseyev, was filmed sitting with Prigozhin in a Russian military compound taken over by Wagner, trying to persuade the mercenary chief to call off his troops.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Unlike body composition metrics, BMI obscures the true extent of metabolic dysfunction and cannot distinguish between muscle and fat — or between superficial fat and the visceral fat that drives diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions.—
Bret Scher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
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After he was taken into custody, he was found to be bleeding from his hand and had several superficial cuts on his stomach.—
Patrick Damp,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Unfortunately, buying a legitimate one to replace what’s been stolen can cost five, 10, or even 20 times that if your dealer’s service department is especially greedy, which is a big part of the problem here.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
5 Feb. 2026
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Their false claims about getting financially fleeced by Uncle Sam were fueled by a rather sophisticated, albeit deceitful and shameful lobbying campaign, sponsored by greedy gadflies out to make a quick buck.—
Tom Margenau,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Materialistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/materialistic. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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