as in spiritual
not composed of matter
Newton's laws explain the effects of nonmaterial forces on bodies
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Recent Examples of nonmaterial
Put simply, superheated plasma was being tested as fuel, but the temperatures melted any sort of solid container, so the experiments used nonmaterial vessels formed from extremely powerful magnetic fields.
—
Werner Herzog, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
The author excludes them all, asserting that belief in any kind of nonmaterial, ethereal world lacks empirical support.
—Denis Alexander, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023
So people escaped into the nonmaterial world.
—Keith Gessen, Vogue, 19 May 2022
The first part of the book is committed to a ground-clearing exercise, describing the various concepts of the nonmaterial soul that feature in many different religious belief systems.
—Denis Alexander, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023
The real challenge in terms of 2022 earnings is going to be addressing inflation in other costs, so nonmaterial costs.
—George Stahl, WSJ, 12 Feb. 2022
Robert Kagan also emphasized the role of nonmaterial motives in U.S. foreign policy.
—William A. Galston, WSJ, 20 Sep. 2022
An example of a nonmaterial breach is a landlord thinking their tenant is not cleaning enough, but nothing has been damaged.
—Randy Furst, Star Tribune, 11 July 2021
So, for example, property may be capital, in the Marxist sense, but property values are dependent on things that are nonmaterial — that are ideological, or superstructural — like race.
—Vinson Cunningham, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2021
Werner Herzog, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
The author excludes them all, asserting that belief in any kind of nonmaterial, ethereal world lacks empirical support.
—Denis Alexander, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023
So people escaped into the nonmaterial world.
—Keith Gessen, Vogue, 19 May 2022
The first part of the book is committed to a ground-clearing exercise, describing the various concepts of the nonmaterial soul that feature in many different religious belief systems.
—Denis Alexander, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023
The real challenge in terms of 2022 earnings is going to be addressing inflation in other costs, so nonmaterial costs.
—George Stahl, WSJ, 12 Feb. 2022
Robert Kagan also emphasized the role of nonmaterial motives in U.S. foreign policy.
—William A. Galston, WSJ, 20 Sep. 2022
An example of a nonmaterial breach is a landlord thinking their tenant is not cleaning enough, but nothing has been damaged.
—Randy Furst, Star Tribune, 11 July 2021
So, for example, property may be capital, in the Marxist sense, but property values are dependent on things that are nonmaterial — that are ideological, or superstructural — like race.
—Vinson Cunningham, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonmaterial
Adjective
-
Through her lectures and art, Sangeetha champions faith, inclusivity, and the spiritual significance of cultures, striving to create a more compassionate, understanding, and harmonious world.—
Benjamin Liong Setiawan,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
-
The nameless boy becomes nothing more than collateral damage on the men’s superficial spiritual journey, cheapening any real progress that the brothers had made.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
Cage’s haunted delivery, contrasting powerfully with Knell’s anxious, terrified giggling, gives the scene a metaphysical kick.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
28 May 2025
-
The Hormone Monsters were soon joined by a full menagerie of metaphysical beings, from the Shame Wizard (David Thewlis) to the Depression Kitty (Jean Smart) to the Anxiety Mosquito (Maria Bamford).—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
If reason teaches that God is incorporeal, this means that God has no body; God does not physically see, nor do people see God.—
Randy L. Friedman,
The Conversation,
16 Feb. 2024
-
The digital files are incorporeal.—
BostonGlobe.com,
BostonGlobe.com,
9 June 2021
Adjective
-
Hausmann said the dire conditions that led to multiple inmate deaths and physical attacks against prison employees in the year before its closure are immaterial.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
23 May 2025
-
On some level, what happens to any individual character on The Handmaid’s Tale is immaterial.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
What are intangible assets? Intangible assets are nonphysical resources that generate economic and strategic value, such as patents, trademarks, customer trust and innovation capacity.—
Tami Saito,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Ansari answers crypto question with call for campaign finance reform Ansari’s candidacy was boosted by a massive expenditure from advocates of cryptocurrency, the digital currencies that exist on nonphysical, decentralized ledger systems.—
Laura Gersony,
The Arizona Republic,
17 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
More than just a haunted house novel, this is a supernatural psychological thriller.—
Gabino Iglesias,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
-
But things are brewing around another movie title, the 2022 supernatural horror thriller What Lies Beneath, which Johnson executive produced.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nonmaterial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonmaterial. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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