Dictionary definition · material
noun
- the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object"coal is a hard black material"
- information (data or ideas or observations) that can be used or reworked into a finished form"the archives provided rich material for a definitive biography"
- artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers"the fabric in the curtains was light and semitransparent"
- things needed for doing or making something"writing materials"
- a person judged suitable for admission or employment"he was university material"
adjective
- concerned with worldly rather than spiritual interests"material possessions"
- derived from or composed of matter"the material universe"
- directly relevant to a matter especially a law case"his support made a material difference"
- concerned with or affecting physical as distinct from intellectual or psychological well-being"material needs"
- having material or physical form or substance"that which is created is of necessity corporeal and visible and tangible"
- having substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary"the substantial world"
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).