immateriality

IPA/ˌɪm.ə.tɪə.riˈæl.ə.ti/
IPA/ˌɪm.ə.tɪr.iˈæl.ə.t̬i/

immateriality — noun

1. the state of existing without a body or any shape that you can touch or see

1.nounC2
Definition

the state of existing without a body or any shape that you can touch or see

Example

The priest spoke about the immateriality of the soul after the body dies.

the immateriality of + abstract noun

Christopher believes a ghost keeps its immateriality, passing through walls without being touched.

Common collocations
  • immateriality of the soul
  • immateriality of the mind
Synonyms
  • incorporeality

    more technical; common in philosophy and theology

  • intangibility

    stresses that you cannot touch it, rather than that it has no body

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the immateriality of [something]

Usage Note

Subject is usually a spirit, mind, idea, or natural force rather than a person. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is about physical existence, not importance.

2. the fact that something does not matter to a decision or has nothing to do with

2.nounC2
Definition

the fact that something does not matter to a decision or has nothing to do with the topic being discussed

Example

The judge noted the immateriality of the witness's claim and moved on quickly.

common in legal and formal contexts

Trang pointed out the immateriality of the missing comma to the whole report.

the immateriality of X to Y

Common collocations
  • immateriality of the evidence
  • immateriality of the issue
Synonyms
  • irrelevance

    the most common everyday word for this idea

  • insignificance

    stresses small size or low value rather than being off-topic

Antonyms
  • materiality

    the quality of being important enough to affect a decision

  • relevance

    the quality of being connected to the topic

Grammar Patterns

the immateriality of [something]

Usage Note

Often followed by 'of' plus the thing dismissed, and sometimes 'to' plus the matter it fails to affect. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about relevance, not physical form.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

These three nouns all describe something that does not count, but they part ways on why. 'Irrelevance' is the everyday choice and simply means a thing has no connection to the topic at hand, as in the irrelevance of his age to the job. 'Insignificance' points instead to small size or low value, suggesting the thing is too minor to notice. 'Immateriality' is the most formal of the three and is common in law and accounting; it says a fact is too unconnected or too slight to change a decision. A lawyer might stress the immateriality of a late payment, while a friend would just call it irrelevant.

immateriality ↗irrelevance ↗insignificance ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • immateriality of the soul
  • immateriality of the evidence

Prepositions

  • immateriality of
  • immateriality to

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

This noun was built from the adjective 'immaterial', which joins the Latin prefix 'im-' meaning 'not' to 'material', from Latin 'materia' meaning 'matter' or 'stuff'. The '-ity' ending turns the adjective into a noun naming a quality. English first used it for the 'no physical body' meaning, and the 'not important' meaning grew later, especially in legal use where unimportant facts were said to lack substance.

First known use

1570

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1