German word

materiell

Pronunciation

IPA/matəˈʁi̯ɛl/

Meaning

  • adjectivematerial

Example

Wir leben in einer materiellen Gesellschaft.

We live in a society focused on material things.

Illustration for materiell (material)

More examples

Viele NGOs leisten materielle Unterstützung in den betroffenen Regionen.

Many NGOs provide material support in the affected regions.

Core concept

Something that can be handled, owned, or assigned a monetary value instead of existing only as an idea.

Common phrases

  • materielle Unterstützung

    material support

  • materielle Ressourcen

    material resources

  • materielle Anreize

    material incentives

Similar words

physisch: Having a physical form that can be observed or measured.
greifbar: Clearly concrete, tangible, and grounded in real experience.
stofflich: Having material substance and existing as a physical object.

Definition in German

Bezeichnet etwas, das körperlich vorhanden ist oder als Besitz beziehungsweise in Geldwert existiert und nicht nur ideell oder abstrakt ist.

Word origin

The adjective entered German through the learned vocabulary of European languages and ultimately goes back to Latin materialis, formed from materia, 'matter'.

Usage tips

  • The adjective remains lowercase in German, but the nominalized form das Materielle is capitalized because it functions as a noun.

Other meanings

  • financialadjective
  • tangibleadjective

Opposites

  • immateriellimmaterialadjective
  • geistigspiritualadjective

Related words

  • Materialisierungmaterializationnoun
  • materialisierenmaterializeverb

Word lists with this word