MATERIAL

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does material mean? 

• MATERIAL (noun)
  The noun MATERIAL has 5 senses:

1. the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object

2. information (data or ideas or observations) that can be used or reworked into a finished form

3. artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers

4. things needed for doing or making something

5. a person judged suitable for admission or employment

  Familiarity information: MATERIAL used as a noun is common.

• MATERIAL (adjective)
  The adjective MATERIAL has 6 senses:

1. concerned with worldly rather than spiritual interests

2. derived from or composed of matter

3. directly relevant to a matter especially a law case

4. concerned with or affecting physical as distinct from intellectual or psychological well-being

5. having material or physical form or substance

6. having substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary

  Familiarity information: MATERIAL used as an adjective is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MATERIAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

material; stuff

Context example:

wheat is the stuff they use to make bread

Hypernyms ("material" is a kind of...):

substance (the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "material"):

ballast (any heavy material used to stabilize a ship or airship)

bedding; bedding material; litter (material used to provide a bed for animals)

rind (the natural outer covering of food (usually removed before eating))

recycling (used or abandoned materials for use in creating new products)

precursor (a substance from which another substance is formed (especially by a metabolic reaction))

atom; corpuscle; molecule; mote; particle; speck ((nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything)

ammunition (any nuclear or chemical or biological material that can be used as a weapon of mass destruction)

floc; floccule (a small loosely aggregated mass of flocculent material suspended in or precipitated from a liquid)

HAZMAT (an abbreviation for 'hazardous material' used on warning signs)

aggregate (material such as sand or gravel used with cement and water to make concrete, mortar, or plaster)

raw material; staple (material suitable for manufacture or use or finishing)

sorbate (a material that has been or is capable of being taken up by another substance by either absorption or adsorption)

sorbent; sorbent material (a material that sorbs another substance; i.e. that has the capacity or tendency to take it up by either absorption or adsorption)

diamagnet (a substance that exhibits diamagnetism)

mineral (solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition)

rock; stone (material consisting of the aggregate of minerals like those making up the Earth's crust)

adhesive; adhesive agent; adhesive material (a substance that unites or bonds surfaces together)

sealing material (any substance used to seal joints or fill cracks in a porous surface)

animal material (material derived from animals)

fluff (any light downy material)

bimetal (material made by bonding together sheets of two different metals)

abradant; abrasive; abrasive material (a substance that abrades or wears down)

chemical; chemical substance (material produced by or used in a reaction involving changes in atoms or molecules)

composite material (strong lightweight material developed in the laboratory; fibers of more than one kind are bonded together chemically)

conductor (a substance that readily conducts e.g. electricity and heat)

dielectric; insulator; nonconductor (a material such as glass or porcelain with negligible electrical or thermal conductivity)

contaminant; contamination (a substance that contaminates)

particulate; particulate matter (a small discrete mass of solid or liquid matter that remains individually dispersed in gas or liquid emissions (usually considered to be an atmospheric pollutant))

dust (free microscopic particles of solid material)

elastomer (any of various elastic materials that resemble rubber (resumes its original shape when a deforming force is removed))

earth; ground (the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface)

discharge; emission (a substance that is emitted or released)

detritus (loose material (stone fragments and silt etc) that is worn away from rocks)

waste; waste material; waste matter; waste product (any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted)

fiber; fibre (a slender and greatly elongated substance capable of being spun into yarn)

fill; filling (any material that fills a space or container)

foam (a lightweight material in cellular form; made by introducing gas bubbles during manufacture)

homogenate (material that has been homogenized (especially tissue that has been ground and mixed))

humate (material that is high in humic acids)

impregnation (material with which something is impregnated)

paper (a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses)

packing; packing material; wadding (any material used especially to protect something)

color; coloring material; colour; colouring material (any material used for its color)

plant material; plant substance (material derived from plants)

radioactive material (material that is radioactive)

thickener; thickening (any material used to thicken)

toner (a black or colored powder used in a printer to develop a xerographic image)

translucent substance; transparent substance (a material having the property of admitting light diffusely; a partly transparent material)

undercut (the material removed by a cut made underneath)

builder; detergent builder (a substance added to soaps or detergents to increase their cleansing action)

vernix; vernix caseosa (a white cheeselike protective material that covers the skin of a fetus)

wad (a small mass of soft material)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Information (data or ideas or observations) that can be used or reworked into a finished form

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

the archives provided rich material for a definitive biography

Hypernyms ("material" is a kind of...):

info; information (a message received and understood)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "material"):

rehash (old material that is slightly reworked and used again)

copy (material suitable for a journalistic account)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

cloth; fabric; material; textile

Context example:

she measured off enough material for a dress

Hypernyms ("material" is a kind of...):

artefact; artifact (a man-made object taken as a whole)

Meronyms (parts of "material"):

edging (border consisting of anything placed on the edge to finish something (such as a fringe on clothing or on a rug))

hem (the edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down)

Meronyms (substance of "material"):

warp (yarn arranged lengthways on a loom and crossed by the woof)

filling; pick; weft; woof (the yarn woven across the warp yarn in weaving)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "material"):

aba (a fabric woven from goat hair and camel hair)

acrylic (a synthetic fabric)

Aertex (a trademark for a loosely woven cotton fabric that is used to make shirts and underwear)

alpaca (a thin glossy fabric made of the wool of the Lama pacos, or made of a rayon or cotton imitation of that wool)

baize (a bright green fabric napped to resemble felt; used to cover gaming tables)

basket weave (a cloth woven of two or more threads interlaced to suggest the weave of a basket)

batik (a dyed fabric; a removable wax is used where the dye is not wanted)

batiste (a thin plain-weave cotton or linen fabric; used for shirts or dresses)

belting (the material of which belts are made)

bombazine (a twilled fabric used for dresses; the warp is silk and the weft is worsted)

boucle (a fabric of uneven yarn that has an uneven knobby effect)

broadcloth (a closely woven silk or synthetic fabric with a narrow crosswise rib)

broadcloth (a densely textured woolen fabric with a lustrous finish)

brocade (thick heavy expensive material with a raised pattern)

buckram (a coarse cotton fabric stiffened with glue; used in bookbinding and to stiffen clothing)

bunting (a loosely woven fabric used for flags, etc.)

calico (coarse cloth with a bright print)

cambric (a finely woven white linen)

camel's hair; camelhair (a soft tan cloth made with the hair of a camel)

camlet (a fabric of Asian origin; originally made of silk and camel's hair)

camo; camouflage (fabric dyed with splotches of green and brown and black and tan; intended to make the wearer of a garment made of this fabric hard to distinguish from the background)

canopy (the umbrellalike part of a parachute that fills with air)

canvas; canvass (a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents))

cashmere (a soft fabric made from the wool of the Cashmere goat)

cerecloth (a waterproof waxed cloth once used as a shroud)

challis (a soft lightweight fabric (usually printed))

chambray (a lightweight fabric woven with white threads across a colored warp)

chenille (a heavy fabric woven with chenille cord; used in rugs and bedspreads)

chiffon (a sheer fabric of silk or rayon)

chino (a coarse twilled cotton fabric frequently used for uniforms)

chintz (a brightly printed and glazed cotton fabric)

coating (a heavy fabric suitable for coats)

cobweb (a fabric so delicate and transparent as to resemble a web of a spider)

cord; corduroy (a cut pile fabric with vertical ribs; usually made of cotton)

cotton (fabric woven from cotton fibers)

Canton flannel; cotton flannel (a stout cotton fabric with nap on only one side)

crape; crepe (a soft thin light fabric with a crinkled surface)

cretonne (an unglazed heavy fabric; brightly printed; used for slipcovers and draperies)

crinoline (a stiff coarse fabric used to stiffen hats or clothing)

damask (a fabric of linen or cotton or silk or wool with a reversible pattern woven into it)

denim; dungaree; jean (a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric)

diamante (fabric covered with glittering ornaments such as sequins or rhinestones)

diaper (a fabric (usually cotton or linen) with a distinctive woven pattern of small repeated figures)

dimity (a strong cotton fabric with a raised pattern; used for bedcovers and curtains)

doeskin (a fine smooth soft woolen fabric)

drapery (cloth gracefully draped and arranged in loose folds)

duck (a heavy cotton fabric of plain weave; used for clothing and tents)

duffel; duffle (a coarse heavy woolen fabric)

elastic (a fabric made of yarns containing an elastic material)

etamin; etamine (a soft cotton or worsted fabric with an open mesh; used for curtains or clothing etc.)

faille (a ribbed woven fabric of silk or rayon or cotton)

felt (a fabric made of compressed matted animal fibers)

fiber; fibre; vulcanized fiber (a leatherlike material made by compressing layers of paper or cloth)

flannel (a soft light woolen fabric; used for clothing)

flannelette (a cotton fabric imitating flannel)

fleece (a soft bulky fabric with deep pile; used chiefly for clothing)

foulard (a light plain-weave or twill-weave silk or silklike fabric (usually with a printed design))

frieze (a heavy woolen fabric with a long nap)

fustian (a strong cotton and linen fabric with a slight nap)

gabardine (a firm durable fabric with a twill weave)

georgette (a thin silk dress material)

gingham (a clothing fabric in a plaid weave)

grogram (a coarse fabric of silk mixed with wool or mohair and often stiffened with gum)

grosgrain (a silk or silklike fabric with crosswise ribs)

hair; haircloth (cloth woven from horsehair or camelhair; used for upholstery or stiffening in garments)

herringbone (a twilled fabric with a herringbone pattern)

homespun (a rough loosely woven fabric originally made with yarn that was spun at home)

hopsack; hopsacking (a loosely woven coarse fabric of cotton or linen; used in clothing)

horsehair (a fabric made from fibers taken from the mane or tail of horses; used for upholstery)

jaconet (a lightweight cotton cloth with a smooth and slightly stiff finish; used for clothing and bandages)

jacquard (a highly figured fabric woven on a Jacquard loom)

khaddar; khadi (a coarse homespun cotton cloth made in India)

khaki (a sturdy twilled cloth of a yellowish brown color used especially for military uniforms)

knit (a fabric made by knitting)

lace (a delicate decorative fabric woven in an open web of symmetrical patterns)

lame (a fabric interwoven with threads of metal)

imitation leather; leatherette (fabric made to look like leather)

linen (a fabric woven with fibers from the flax plant)

linsey-woolsey (a rough fabric of linen warp and wool or cotton woof)

lint (cotton or linen fabric with the nap raised on one side; used to dress wounds)

lisle (a fabric woven with lisle thread)

mackinaw (a heavy woolen cloth heavily napped and felted, often with a plaid design)

macintosh; mackintosh (a lightweight waterproof (usually rubberized) fabric)

madras (a light patterned cotton cloth)

marseille (strong cotton fabric with a raised pattern; used for bedspreads)

metallic (a fabric made of a yarn that is partly or entirely of metal)

mohair (fabric made with yarn made from the silky hair of the Angora goat)

moire; watered-silk (silk fabric with a wavy surface pattern)

moleskin (a durable cotton fabric with a velvety nap)

monk's cloth (a heavy cloth in basket weave)

moquette (a thick velvety synthetic fabric used for carpets and soft upholstery)

moreen (a heavy fabric of wool (or wool and cotton) used mostly in upholstery or for curtains)

motley (a multicolored woolen fabric woven of mixed threads in 14th to 17th century England)

mousseline de sole (a gauze-like fabric of silk or rayon)

muslin (plain-woven cotton fabric)

nankeen (a durable fabric formerly loomed by hand in China from natural cotton having a yellowish color)

mesh; meshing; meshwork; net; network (an open fabric of string or rope or wire woven together at regular intervals)

ninon (a fine strong sheer silky fabric made of silk or rayon or nylon)

nylon (a synthetic fabric)

oilcloth (cloth treated on one side with a drying oil or synthetic resin)

olive drab (a cloth of an olive-brown color used for military uniforms)

organza (a fabric made of silk or a silklike fabric that resembles organdy)

paisley (a soft wool fabric with a colorful swirled pattern of curved shapes)

panting; trousering (any fabric used to make trousers)

pepper-and-salt (a fabric woven with flecks of light and dark)

percale (a fine closely woven cotton fabric)

durable press; permanent press (a fabric that has been chemically processed to resist wrinkles and hold its shape)

piece of cloth; piece of material (a separate part consisting of fabric)

pilot cloth (a thick blue cloth used to make overcoats and coats for sailors etc)

pinstripe (a fabric with very thin stripes)

pique (tightly woven fabric with raised cords)

plush (a fabric with a nap that is longer and softer than velvet)

polyester (any of a large class of synthetic fabrics)

pongee (a soft thin cloth woven from raw silk (or an imitation))

poplin (a ribbed fabric used in clothing and upholstery)

print (a fabric with a dyed pattern pressed onto it (usually by engraved rollers))

quilting (a material used for making a quilt, or a quilted fabric)

rayon (a synthetic silklike fabric)

rep; repp (a fabric with prominent rounded crosswise ribs)

sackcloth (a coarse cloth resembling sacking)

bagging; sacking (coarse fabric used for bags or sacks)

sailcloth (a strong fabric (such as cotton canvas) used for making sails and tents)

samite (a heavy silk fabric (often woven with silver or gold threads); used to make clothing in the Middle Ages)

sateen (a cotton fabric with a satiny finish)

satin (a smooth fabric of silk or rayon; has a glossy face and a dull back)

satinet; satinette (a fabric with a finish resembling satin but made partly or wholly from cotton or synthetic fiber)

screening (fabric of metal or plastic mesh)

scrim (a firm open-weave fabric used for a curtain in the theater)

seersucker (a light puckered fabric (usually striped))

serge (a twilled woolen fabric)

shag (a fabric with long coarse nap)

shantung (a heavy silk fabric with a rough surface (or a cotton imitation))

sharkskin (a smooth crisp fabric)

sheeting (fabric from which bed sheets are made)

shirting (any of various fabrics used to make men's shirts)

shirttail (fabric forming the tail of a shirt)

silesia (a sturdy twill-weave cotton fabric; used for pockets and linings)

silk (a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae)

spandex (an elastic synthetic fabric)

sponge cloth (any soft porous fabric (especially in a loose honeycomb weave))

stammel (a coarse woolen cloth formerly used for undergarments and usually dyed bright red)

suede; suede cloth (a fabric made to resemble suede leather)

suiting (a fabric used for suits)

swan's down (soft woolen fabric used especially for baby clothes)

taffeta (a crisp smooth lustrous fabric)

tammy (plain-woven (often glazed) fabric of wool or wool and cotton used especially formerly for linings and garments and curtains)

tapa; tappa (a paperlike cloth made in the South Pacific by pounding tapa bark)

tapestry; tapis (a heavy textile with a woven design; used for curtains and upholstery)

plaid; tartan (a cloth having a crisscross design)

terry; terry cloth; terrycloth (a pile fabric (usually cotton) with uncut loops on both sides; used to make bath towels and bath robes)

ticking (a strong fabric used for mattress and pillow covers)

toweling; towelling (any of various fabrics (linen or cotton) used to make towels)

tweed (thick woolen fabric used for clothing; originated in Scotland)

twill (a cloth with parallel diagonal lines or ribs)

upholstery material (the fabric used in upholstering)

Velcro (nylon fabric used as a fastening)

velour; velours (heavy fabric that resembles velvet)

velvet (a silky densely piled fabric with a plain back)

velveteen (a usually cotton fabric with a short pile imitating velvet)

vicuna (a soft wool fabric made from the fleece of the vicuna)

Viyella (a fabric made from a twilled mixture of cotton and wool)

voile (a light semitransparent fabric)

wash-and-wear (a fabric treated to be easily washable and to require no ironing)

waterproof (any fabric impervious to water)

web (a fabric (especially a fabric in the process of being woven))

webbing (a strong fabric woven in strips)

whipcord (a strong worsted or cotton fabric with a diagonal rib)

wincey (a plain or twilled fabric of wool and cotton used especially for warm shirts or skirts and pajamas)

wire cloth (fabric woven of metallic wire)

wool; woolen; woollen (a fabric made from the hair of sheep)

worsted (a woolen fabric with a hard textured surface and no nap; woven of worsted yarns)

yoke (fabric comprising a fitted part at the top of a garment)

pina cloth (a fine cloth made from pineapple fibers)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Things needed for doing or making something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

useful teaching materials

Hypernyms ("material" is a kind of...):

equipment (an instrumentality needed for an undertaking or to perform a service)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "material"):

packaging (material used to make packages)

railing (material for making rails or rails collectively)

roofing (material used to construct a roof)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A person judged suitable for admission or employment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

she was vice-presidential material

Hypernyms ("material" is a kind of...):

applicant; applier (a person who requests or seeks something such as assistance or employment or admission)

• MATERIAL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Concerned with worldly rather than spiritual interests

Context example:

material comforts

Similar:

secular; temporal; worldly (characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Derived from or composed of matter

Context example:

the material universe

Similar:

physical (having substance or material existence; perceptible to the senses)

physical (concerned with material things)

Also:

material; real; substantial (having substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary)

Attribute:

corporality; corporeality; materiality; physicalness (the quality of being physical; consisting of matter)

Antonym:

immaterial (not consisting of matter)

Derivation:

materiality (the quality of being physical; consisting of matter)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Directly relevant to a matter especially a law case

Context example:

a material witness

Similar:

crucial (having crucial relevance)

Antonym:

immaterial (of no importance or relevance especially to a law case)

Derivation:

materiality (relevance requiring careful consideration)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Concerned with or affecting physical as distinct from intellectual or psychological well-being

Context example:

the moral and material welfare of all good citizens

Similar:

physical (involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Having material or physical form or substance

Synonyms:

corporeal; material

Context example:

that which is created is of necessity corporeal and visible and tangible

Similar:

bodily (having or relating to a physical material body)

bodied; corporal; corporate; embodied; incarnate (possessing or existing in bodily form)

reincarnate (having a new body)

Also:

bodied (having a body or a body of a specified kind; often used in combination)

Attribute:

corporality; corporeality; materiality; physicalness (the quality of being physical; consisting of matter)

Derivation:

materiality (the quality of being physical; consisting of matter)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Having substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary

Synonyms:

material; real; substantial

Context example:

The wind was violent and felt substantial enough to lean against

Also:

material (derived from or composed of matter)

Attribute:

solidness; substantiality; substantialness (the quality of being substantial or having substance)

 Context examples 

I thought there were excellent materials in him; though for the present they hung together somewhat spoiled and tangled.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

This process is restricted to materials that contain water and is typically used for food.

(Microwave Radiation Sterilization, NCI Thesaurus)

Two minutes after her entering the room, Captain Wentworth said—We will write the letter we were talking of, Harville, now, if you will give me materials.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Just give me the material and I will engage to brand the fellow for ever.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A process to reduce a solid material to particles with an average size described in microns.

(Micronization, NCI Thesaurus)

Indicates that a product is derived from a specified mineral material.

(Mineral Sources, NCI Thesaurus)

To be at an early certainty is a material object.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Macrophages surround and kill microorganisms, ingest foreign material, remove dead cells, and boost immune responses.

(Monocyte, NCI Dictionary)

The fusion transcript is the result of the translocation of genetic material from any one of several chromosomes to the 8p11 region.

(MOZ-V Fusion Protein Expression, NCI Thesaurus)

A mechanical device designed to blend materials or an electronic device designed to blend signals.

(Mixer Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)