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material

ma·te·ri·al

material

 
 
pronunciation:
m tir i l
parts of speech:
noun, adjective
features:
Word Combinations (noun, adjective)
part of speech: noun
definition 1: anything used for constructing or making something else.
Materials such as limestone, marble, and glass were used in vast amounts to build the cathedral.A lot of the material purchased for the construction project was never used.
 
synonyms:
stuff
similar words:
component, constituent, ingredient, matter, medium, raw material, substance
definition 2: cloth or fabric.
She's bought all the material to make her wedding dress.
 
synonyms:
cloth, fabric, textile
similar words:
piece goods, tapestry, yard goods
definition 3: any group of ideas, sources, data, or the like that can be used to create a larger work.
She gathered material for her novel by reading newspapers from the 1920s.
synonyms:
data, documentation, fodder, statistics
similar words:
information, notes, raw material
definition 4: substance; matter.
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part of speech: adjective
definition 1: important or relevant.
The constant presence of loved ones made a material difference in the patient's recovery.
synonyms:
important, significant, substantial, substantive
antonyms:
immaterial, irrelevant
similar words:
concrete, consequential, pertinent, profound, relevant, vital, weighty
definition 2: of or pertaining to the physical or tangible.
A priest must be concerned with both the material and the spiritual realms in order to be of service.
synonyms:
corporeal, earthly, physical, secular, temporal, worldly
antonyms:
immaterial, intangible, nonmaterial, spiritual
similar words:
carnal, concrete, mundane, palpable, phenomenal, substantive, tangible, terrestrial
definition 3: in law, relevant to the issues of a case.
The witness held back information that was material to the case.
similar words:
evidential, pertinent, relevant, to the point
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