as in spiritual
not composed of matter
Newton's laws explain the effects of nonmaterial forces on bodies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
The spiritual leader has not met a sitting US president since Barack Obama in 2016, after numerous visits to the White House since 1991.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
6 July 2025
-
Ostensibly intended to protect a church’s autonomy in choosing its spiritual leaders, the exception has since been stretched into a catch-all excuse to deny employees of religious schools all kinds of legal recourse.—
A.J. Schumann,
Sun Sentinel,
6 July 2025
Adjective
-
Vendors will offer beads, minerals, gemstones, custom jewelry, fossils, artifacts, and metaphysical stones.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 July 2025
-
To what end? Riri meets Mephisto at the metaphysical diner.—
Stacia Brown,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
In fact, magical life has the potential to be even more radically incorporeal than our own.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
-
To the casual observer, the data industry can seem incorporeal, its products conjured out of weightless bits.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Emotion as Added Value One recurring and essential cog that keeps the watch business ticking remains immaterial: emotion.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
17 Apr. 2025
-
One’s major is immaterial, particularly in an economy as dynamic as ours.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
Adjective
-
In accounting, intangible assets are nonphysical possessions including such things as brands and intellectual property, software, mineral rights ‒ and contracts.—
Alexander Coolidge,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
-
Consequently, legal advocates have argued for decades for a better framework that emphasizes nonphysical forms of abuse as well as physical abuse.—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
Immediately following Profiler came the recurring role of Cole Turner, a half-demon, on the Aaron Spelling supernatural drama Charmed from 2000 to 2003.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
-
Rhonda and Jason Halbert wrote a trilogy of supernatural thriller books called The Goodpasture Chronicles.—
Melonee Hurt,
The Tennessean,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nonmaterial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonmaterial. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share