Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who believes that only physical matter exists: A materialist is someone who adheres to the philosophical doctrine that reality consists solely of material or physical substances, and that all phenomena, including consciousness and thought, are the result of material interactions.
   • A person who is overly concerned with material possessions and physical comfort: A materialist is also someone who places great importance on acquiring and owning material goods, wealth, and physical well-being, often prioritizing them over spiritual, intellectual, or ethical values.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Philosophical sense):

  • As a committed materialist, he argued that the mind is simply a product of brain activity.
  • The debate featured a materialist who rejected any notion of a non-physical soul.

• Noun (Consumer/lifestyle sense):

  • She was criticized for being a materialist, always chasing the latest luxury car and designer clothes.
  • His materialist lifestyle, focused on wealth and status, left him feeling unfulfilled.

Advanced Usage

• "Reductive materialist": A thinker who believes complex phenomena (like emotions) can be fully explained by simpler physical processes.

  • The reductive materialist views love as merely a series of chemical reactions in the brain.

• "Dialectical materialist": A follower of the Marxist philosophical tradition that applies materialist principles to history and social development.

  • As a dialectical materialist, she analyzed class struggles as driven by economic conditions.

Variants and Related Words

• Materialism (n): The philosophical theory or the personal attitude associated with being a materialist.

  • His materialism led him to value scientific explanations above all else.
  • The rampant materialism of modern society is often lamented.

• Materialistic (adj): Describing a person or attitude that is concerned with material possessions.

  • He had a materialistic outlook, judging success by salary and property.

Synonyms

• Physicalist (n): (Philosophical) A synonym for a materialist in the philosophical sense.
• Acquisitive person (n): (Lifestyle) Someone strongly inclined to acquire things.

Antonyms

• Idealist (n): (Philosophical) A person who believes that ideas, mind, or spirit are fundamental.
• Ascetic (n): (Lifestyle) A person who renounces material comforts and leads a life of strict self-discipline.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Chasing the almighty dollar": An idiom describing a materialistic pursuit of wealth, often associated with a materialist attitude.
  • He spent his life chasing the almighty dollar, a true materialist at heart.

Noun

1. someone who thinks that nothing exists but physical matter
2. someone with great regard for material possessions