Advertisement

materialism (n.)

1748, "philosophy that nothing exists except matter" (from French matérialisme); see material (n.) + ism. As this naturally tended toward "opinion or tendency based upon purely material interests," it came to be used by late 19c. for any low view of life (opposed to idealism). As "a way of life based entirely on consumer goods," by 1930.

Others are reading

Advertisement
Definitions of materialism from WordNet

materialism (n.)
a desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters;
Synonyms: philistinism
materialism (n.)
(philosophy) the philosophical theory that matter is the only reality;
Synonyms: physicalism
From wordnet.princeton.edu