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
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The show saw the heroes combine their powers to fight off the mysterious mercenary cult known as The Hand.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
4 Apr. 2026
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And mercenary pros could Benedict Arnold their former college teams by playing for a hated rival.—
Zach Przystup,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Starring Witherspoon as Woods, the film followed a seemingly superficial sorority president who defies stereotypes by earning a place at Harvard Law School.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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But economists say the similarities may be largely superficial, thanks to more flexible exchange-rate regimes and deeper foreign exchange reserves, which provide a buffer that helps absorb some of the shock.—
Anniek Bao,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The first time, Julian’s children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning) seemed like miserable, greedy wretches.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
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But whether or not the good are rewarded, the greedy get their comeuppance, or old creative sparks are rekindled soon become beside the point.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Materialistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/materialistic. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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