materialism

/məˈtɪəriəlɪzəm/ (bre, ipa) · /məˈtɪriəlɪzəm/ (ame, ipa) · /mə-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌli-zəm/ (ame, mw)

materialism — noun

1. the attitude that owning things and having money should be the main goals in a p

1.名詞B2
釋義

the attitude that owning things and having money should be the main goals in a person's life, often pushing aside relationships, ethics, or spiritual concerns

例句

Yumi's materialism was obvious from how she only valued friends who wore expensive brands.

materialism shown through behaviour toward others

The documentary warned that the rise of materialism had damaged community life in many towns.

collocation: rise of materialism

同義詞
  • greed

    focuses on wanting more than one needs; more personal, less about a whole worldview

  • consumerism

    describes the behaviour and culture of buying goods, not the belief that things are life's main goal

  • acquisitiveness

    formal term for the strong desire to obtain money and things

反義詞
  • idealism

    values principles, ideas, and moral goals above material gain

  • spirituality

    focuses on religious or inner experience rather than physical possessions

用法筆記

Frequently carries a negative judgement — it describes a value system the speaker disapproves of. The noun is uncountable; do not say 'a materialism' or 'materialisms' for this sense.

常見錯誤

❌Consumerism and materialism mean the same thing.
✅Consumerism and materialism are related but different
💡consumerism is the system of buying goods, while materialism is the belief that owning things matters most.' — consumerism describes economic activity; materialism describes a personal or cultural value.

2. the philosophical view that the entire universe consists of physical matter and

2.名詞C1
釋義

the philosophical view that the entire universe consists of physical matter and that mental experiences, thoughts, and spiritual beings arise from material processes rather than existing independently

例句

In philosophy class, Baraka argued that materialism could not fully account for human consciousness.

materialism contrasted with consciousness

The professor contrasted materialism with idealism in her lecture on 19th-century European thought.

contrast pair: materialism vs. idealism

同義詞
  • physicalism

    a more recent, narrower term used mainly in philosophy of mind

  • naturalism

    a broader position that rejects supernatural explanations; not identical to materialism

反義詞
  • idealism

    the view that reality is fundamentally mental, spiritual, or idea-based

  • dualism

    the view that mind and matter are two separate kinds of substance

用法筆記

A technical term in philosophy, distinct from the everyday sense described above. Commonly contrasted with idealism and dualism. In academic writing it is sometimes replaced by the narrower term physicalism.

常見錯誤

❌Karl Marx's materialism is about greed.
✅Karl Marx's materialism is a philosophical and economic theory about how material conditions shape society
💡not the same as the everyday meaning of valuing possessions.' — Marx's historical materialism belongs to this philosophical sense, not sense 1.