materialization
/məˌtɪəriəlaɪˈzeɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /məˌtɪriələˈzeɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /mə-ˌtir-ē-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən/ (ame, mw)
materialization — noun
- materializationsingular
- materializationsplural
1. the moment when a person or thing comes into view somewhere, often unexpectedly
the moment when a person or thing comes into view somewhere, often unexpectedly and without clear reason.
The sudden materialization of Gabriela at the back door surprised everyone in the kitchen.
pattern: the materialization of [person]
Jisoo was startled by the silent materialization of her cat on top of the kitchen cupboard.
Hamza watched the slow materialization of the island as the morning fog lifted over the bay.
Meera could not explain the materialization of a small black bag on her locked office desk overnight.
Dahlia and her brother filmed the strange materialization of orange lights above the football stadium last Friday.
- appearance
the everyday equivalent; lacks the unexpected, almost magical tone of materialization.
- emergence
stresses gradual coming into view, less about surprise.
- apparition
stronger ghostly or otherworldly sense; used for unreal-seeming figures.
- disappearance
the direct opposite — going out of view.
文法句型
the materialization of [thing/person]
用法筆記
Subject of 'the materialization of' is usually a concrete person, object, or shape that becomes visible — distinguishing from sense 2, where the subject is an idea, plan, or hope.
常見錯誤
2. the point at which a plan, dream, or promise stops being only an idea and actual
the point at which a plan, dream, or promise stops being only an idea and actually starts to happen in real life.
After ten years of saving, Yael celebrated the materialization of her tiny pottery studio.
pattern: the materialization of [dream/plan]
Families on Inês Street are still waiting for the materialization of the affordable housing promised last winter.
frequent collocation: materialization of promises
Élise saw the materialization of her childhood dream when the bookshop finally opened on Rue Saint-Paul.
Donors were thrilled by the materialization of the new music school after years of fundraising.
The materialization of the high-speed rail link took almost two decades of planning and protest.
- realization
almost interchangeable here; slightly more about achieving than appearing.
- fulfillment
highlights satisfying a promise or expectation.
- achievement
stresses effort and success rather than the moment of arrival.
文法句型
the materialization of [plan/dream/idea]
用法筆記
Subject is typically an abstract goal (plan, dream, promise, project) — different from sense 1, where the subject is a visible person or object.
常見錯誤
3. a finished object or work that has been made through a process and now stands as
a finished object or work that has been made through a process and now stands as the visible form of an idea or skill.
The bridge is a stunning materialization of three years of engineering work by Lucas and his team.
pattern: [X] is a materialization of [process/work]
Andrés called the new harbour gallery a materialization of his late father's lifelong fascination with empty rooms.
Each carved wooden mask in the collection is a materialization of a different family story.
Adaeze described her debut album as the materialization of years of late-night writing.
- embodiment
very close in meaning; stresses physical or visible form of an abstract idea.
- expression
broader; can be non-physical (a smile, a tone) as well as a made object.
- manifestation
more formal; the visible sign or form that something has taken.
文法句型
[noun phrase] is a materialization of [concept]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 is the event of something becoming real; sense 3 is the resulting object itself. Commonly takes a singular or countable form ('a materialization of').