Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

materialize

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of materialize

1 to come into existence

  • the business speculator promised profits that never seemed to materialize
Synonyms of materialize

actualize, appear, arise, begin, break, commence, dawn, engender, form, originate, set in, spring, start
Words Related to materialize

be, breathe, exist, live, subsist

arrive, come on, emerge

coalesce, cohere, shape (up)

continue, endure, last, persist, survive
Near Antonyms of materialize

conclude, desist, discontinue, finish, halt, quit, terminate

disappear, dissolve, evaporate, vanish

depart, die, expire, pass away, perish
Antonyms of materialize

cease, end, stop

2 to come into view

  • the train station materialized through the fog
Synonyms of materialize

appear, come out, show, show up, turn up, unfold
Words Related to materialize

reappear, resurface

bulk, loom

arrive, come

dawn, debut

arise, blossom, bob (up), break, break out, crop (up), emerge, erupt, issue, outcrop, rise, shoot (up), spring (up), surface

happen, occur

reappear, rematerialize
Near Antonyms of materialize

depart, leave, retire, withdraw
Antonyms of materialize

clear, disappear, dissolve, evanesce, evaporate, fade, go (away), melt (away), vanish

3 to come to one's attention especially gradually or unexpectedly

  • an unforeseen problem with this project seems to have materialized
Synonyms of materialize

arise, come up, crop (up), emerge, spring (up), surface
Words Related to materialize

appear, come out, show up, turn up

chance, come, come about, fall out, go (on), go off, hap, happen, occur, pass, transpire

interfere, interpose, intervene, intrude

4 to represent in visible form

  • a statue of a grieving woman that seems to materialize the very concept of grief
Synonyms of materialize

body, embody, epitomize, express, externalize, incarnate, incorporate, instantiate, manifest, personalize, personify, substantiate
Words Related to materialize

actualize, concretize, realize

exemplify, illustrate, image, objectify, symbolize, typify
Antonyms of materialize

disembody

Learn More about materialize

  1. See words that rhyme with materialize Dictionary: Definition of materialize Spanish Central: Translation of materialize Nglish: Translation of materialize for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of materialize for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up materialize? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games