materialistic

materialistic — adjective

1. placing a very high value on money and owning things, and believing these matter

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

placing a very high value on money and owning things, and believing these matter more than relationships, experiences, or spiritual or moral principles.

Example

Eitan's materialistic lifestyle gave him a big house and fast cars but very few close friends.

attributive: materialistic + noun (lifestyle, values, attitude)

After travelling through rural villages in Vietnam, Hyun felt ashamed of her own materialistic attitude.

possessive + materialistic + noun

Common collocations
  • materialistic society
  • materialistic values
  • materialistic culture
  • materialistic attitude
  • deeply materialistic
  • increasingly materialistic
Synonyms
  • consumerist

    focuses specifically on the culture of buying and consuming goods; more often used for societies than individuals

  • acquisitive

    more formal; describes a strong desire to acquire things, not necessarily at the expense of values

  • greedy

    broader — can apply to money, food, power, or attention; does not specifically contrast material values with spiritual ones

Antonyms
  • spiritual

    focused on the inner self, faith, or the soul rather than on material goods

  • idealistic

    driven by high principles or visions of a perfect world, not by the desire for possessions

  • frugal

    careful with money, not because of principle but as a habit; may still enjoy possessions but does not obsess over them

Grammar Patterns

materialistic + noun

be + materialistic

deeply/materialistic + materialistic

Usage Note

Almost always carries a critical or negative judgment — calling a person or society materialistic implies that they have misplaced priorities.

Common Mistakes

She is very material — she only cares about money.
She is very materialistic
she only cares about money.' — The adjective 'material' means 'made of matter' or 'physical', not 'obsessed with possessions'. They are not interchangeable.

Word family

  • materialism
    nounB2
  • materialist
    nounC1
  • materialist
    adjectiveC1
  • materialistically
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe a focus on material things, but they differ in scope and connotation. 'Materialistic' is the broadest and most negative — it contrasts material wealth with spiritual, emotional, or relational values. 'Consumerist' is narrower, describing a culture driven by buying and selling; it is rarely used for an individual's personal values. 'Acquisitive' is more formal and neutral in tone — it simply describes a strong drive to obtain things, without the moral judgment of 'materialistic'. 'Greedy' is more general and applies to food, money, power, or attention — it lacks the specific contrast between material and non-material priorities. 'Worldly' can overlap with 'materialistic' when describing someone who cares about wealth and status, but it also carries a neutral or even positive sense of being experienced and sophisticated. For example: 'She left her materialistic family to become a nun.' / 'The acquisitive collector filled every room with antiques.'

consumeristacquisitivegreedy ↗worldly ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • materialistic way of life
  • materialistic consumer culture

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'materialistic' was formed in English in the mid-1800s from 'materialist' (someone who believes matter is all that exists) plus the suffix '-ic'. 'Materialist' itself comes from 'matter', which traces back through Old French 'matiere' to Latin 'materia' ('wood, substance'), and ultimately to Latin 'mater' ('mother') — because wood was seen as the 'mother' substance from which things are made. The shift from the philosophical meaning (matter over spirit) to the everyday meaning (obsessed with possessions) happened gradually during the Industrial Revolution, as people began to criticise the growing focus on wealth and consumption.