materialistic
/mə,tiəriə'listik/
Học thuậtThân thiện
A person with a materialistic outlook admires a new luxury car in a showroom.
Definition
- Adjective:
- Excessively concerned with material possessions and physical comfort: Describes a person or attitude that prioritizes wealth, money, and tangible goods over spiritual, intellectual, or ethical values.
- Based on or relating to the philosophical theory of materialism: Pertaining to the belief that nothing exists except matter and its movements and modifications, or that consciousness and the mind are wholly due to material agency.
Examples of Usage
- Adjective:
- He became more materialistic after getting a high-paying job, caring only about cars and designer clothes.
- The philosopher's materialistic worldview rejected the existence of a soul.
- Our society is often criticized for being too materialistic and consumer-driven.
Advanced Usage
- "materialistic values": A set of beliefs that emphasize the importance of owning possessions and wealth.
- The film critiques the materialistic values of modern culture.
- "materialistic interpretation": An explanation of events or phenomena based solely on physical or economic causes.
- He offered a materialistic interpretation of historical change, focusing on resources and technology.
Variants and Related Words
- Materialism (n): The tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values; also, the philosophical theory that matter is the fundamental substance in nature.
- His materialism left him feeling spiritually empty.
- Materialist (n): A person who considers material possessions and physical comfort more important than spiritual values; or, an adherent of the philosophical theory of materialism.
- As a materialist, she believes all mental phenomena are physical processes.
Synonyms
- Acquisitive: Excessively interested in acquiring money or material things.
- Consumerist: Emphasizing the acquisition of consumer goods.
- Worldly: Concerned with material values or ordinary life rather than spiritual or intellectual matters.
- Mercenary: Primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics.
Antonyms
- Spiritual: Concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.
- Ascetic: Characterized by severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.
- Idealistic: Characterized by lofty or noble principles, often in an unrealistic way.
- Unworldly: Not concerned with material values or pursuits.
A person with a materialistic outlook admires a new luxury car in a showroom.
Adjective
- conforming to the standards and conventions of the middle class
- a bourgeois mentality
- marked by materialism