MATERIALISM

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does materialism mean? 

• MATERIALISM (noun)
  The noun MATERIALISM has 2 senses:

1. a desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters

2. (philosophy) the philosophical theory that matter is the only reality

  Familiarity information: MATERIALISM used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MATERIALISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

materialism; philistinism

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

desire (something that is desired)

Derivation:

materialist (someone with great regard for material possessions)

materialistic (conforming to the standards and conventions of the middle class)

materialistic (marked by materialism)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(philosophy) the philosophical theory that matter is the only reality

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

materialism; physicalism

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

philosophical doctrine; philosophical theory (a doctrine accepted by adherents to a philosophy)

Domain category:

philosophy (the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics)

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

dialectical materialism (the materialistic philosophy of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels)

Derivation:

materialist (someone who thinks that nothing exists but physical matter)

 Context examples 

I remembered Charley Furuseth, and knew this man’s sadness as the penalty which the materialist ever pays for his materialism.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

The very simplicity of his reasoning was its strength, and his materialism was far more compelling than the subtly complex materialism of Charley Furuseth.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

His brutal materialism will not permit it.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

And in his action I found complete refutation of all Wolf Larsen’s materialism.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

I threw up my hands with helpless disapproval of his inveterate materialism and went about making the bed.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

“He, at least, after the customary agonizing of youth, found content and made of his materialism a joyous thing.”

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)