Excessively concerned with material possessions and wealth rather than spiritual or intellectual values. Relating to the philosophical belief that physical matter is the only reality.
From Latin 'materialis' meaning of matter, plus the suffix '-istic'. The philosophical sense developed in the 18th century, while the pejorative sense of being obsessed with possessions emerged in the 19th century.
Studies show that highly materialistic people tend to have lower levels of well-being and life satisfaction, despite often having more possessions. The rise of social media has been linked to increased materialistic values, as people constantly compare their lifestyles to curated online presentations.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.