as in spiritual
not composed of matter
Newton's laws explain the effects of nonmaterial forces on bodies
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Recent Examples of nonmaterial
Put simply, superheated plasma was being tested as fuel, but the temperatures melted any sort of solid container, so the experiments used nonmaterial vessels formed from extremely powerful magnetic fields.
—
Werner Herzog, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
The author excludes them all, asserting that belief in any kind of nonmaterial, ethereal world lacks empirical support.
—Denis Alexander, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023
So people escaped into the nonmaterial world.
—Keith Gessen, Vogue, 19 May 2022
The first part of the book is committed to a ground-clearing exercise, describing the various concepts of the nonmaterial soul that feature in many different religious belief systems.
—Denis Alexander, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023
The real challenge in terms of 2022 earnings is going to be addressing inflation in other costs, so nonmaterial costs.
—George Stahl, WSJ, 12 Feb. 2022
Robert Kagan also emphasized the role of nonmaterial motives in U.S. foreign policy.
—William A. Galston, WSJ, 20 Sep. 2022
An example of a nonmaterial breach is a landlord thinking their tenant is not cleaning enough, but nothing has been damaged.
—Randy Furst, Star Tribune, 11 July 2021
So, for example, property may be capital, in the Marxist sense, but property values are dependent on things that are nonmaterial — that are ideological, or superstructural — like race.
—Vinson Cunningham, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2021
Werner Herzog, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
The author excludes them all, asserting that belief in any kind of nonmaterial, ethereal world lacks empirical support.
—Denis Alexander, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023
So people escaped into the nonmaterial world.
—Keith Gessen, Vogue, 19 May 2022
The first part of the book is committed to a ground-clearing exercise, describing the various concepts of the nonmaterial soul that feature in many different religious belief systems.
—Denis Alexander, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023
The real challenge in terms of 2022 earnings is going to be addressing inflation in other costs, so nonmaterial costs.
—George Stahl, WSJ, 12 Feb. 2022
Robert Kagan also emphasized the role of nonmaterial motives in U.S. foreign policy.
—William A. Galston, WSJ, 20 Sep. 2022
An example of a nonmaterial breach is a landlord thinking their tenant is not cleaning enough, but nothing has been damaged.
—Randy Furst, Star Tribune, 11 July 2021
So, for example, property may be capital, in the Marxist sense, but property values are dependent on things that are nonmaterial — that are ideological, or superstructural — like race.
—Vinson Cunningham, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonmaterial
Adjective
-
By promoting spiritual values alongside an abundance mindset, nonprofits can cultivate the intrinsic motivation and cultural resilience essential for sustaining their missions.—
Yujia Zhu,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Now, choosing to bake while exercising is apparently proof of athletic rigor, even spiritual toughness.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Vendors will offer beads, minerals, gemstones, custom jewelry, fossils, artifacts, and metaphysical stones.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Aug. 2025
-
The series invites fans on a metaphysical road trip through the West Coast sunset with a euphoric lineup designed to illuminate audiences and create space for community, connection and spiritual transformation.—
Caroline Tell,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
Adjective
-
In fact, magical life has the potential to be even more radically incorporeal than our own.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
-
To the casual observer, the data industry can seem incorporeal, its products conjured out of weightless bits.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Whether this has anything to do with eventually arriving at AGI and ASI is somewhat immaterial.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
-
For me, this was where everything was tipping: the point at which the material brain created immaterial thoughts and images, and the same point reversed, when the computer turned abstract numbers into concrete actions.—
Karl Ove Knausgaard,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In Ayurveda, Prana, the life force carried by the breath, is understood to nourish both the mind and body and can be viewed as a nonphysical substance, finer than oxygen.—
Trisha Swift,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
-
In accounting, intangible assets are nonphysical possessions including such things as brands and intellectual property, software, mineral rights ‒ and contracts.—
Alexander Coolidge,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
Critics from Rotten Tomatoes appreciate how Anvari keeps supernatural appearances to a minimum, leaving much to the imagination.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Nevermore Academy remains central to the series, serving as the eerie boarding school where Wednesday continues her supernatural education.—
Aya Al-Hakim,
People.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nonmaterial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonmaterial. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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