| Library / English Dictionary |
MATERIALISM
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(philosophy) the philosophical theory that matter is the only reality
Synonyms:
materialism; physicalism
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("materialism" is a kind of...):
philosophical doctrine; philosophical theory (a doctrine accepted by adherents to a philosophy)
Domain category:
philosophy (the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "materialism"):
dialectical materialism (the materialistic philosophy of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels)
Derivation:
materialist (someone who thinks that nothing exists but physical matter)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters
Synonyms:
materialism; philistinism
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("materialism" is a kind of...):
desire (something that is desired)
Derivation:
materialist (someone with great regard for material possessions)
materialistic (conforming to the standards and conventions of the middle class)
materialistic (marked by materialism)
