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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The Bulls are not adopting the most mercenary mechanisms of tanking.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
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Dillon will play Chris Adams, who becomes the leader of seven gunslingers determined to protect a group of innocent villagers from a mercenary land baron hellbent on stealing their land.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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While traditional facelifts merely tighten the skin in a superficial manner, deep-plane procedures can now reorganize the underlying structure of the face, repositioning muscles, fat pads, and ligaments in a labile system of roving features.—
Patrick R. Crowley,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
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Luckily, his wounds were only superficial.—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez,
Austin American Statesman,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The administration would like the public to believe these buildings are deteriorating because greedy landlords refuse to reinvest rent revenue.—
Kenny Burgos,
New York Daily News,
26 Feb. 2026
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Dummymanders also happen when a party has a great deal of control and gets greedy, the journalist Alan Greenblatt wrote last year.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Materialistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/materialistic. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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