materialism

/məˈtɪriəˌlɪzəm/
noun
  1. The belief that having money and possessions is the most important thing in life.
    • She rejected materialism and chose to live a simple life with few possessions.
    • Many people criticize modern society for its focus on materialism.
    • The movie explores the emptiness that often comes with extreme materialism.
  2. In philosophy, the theory that only physical matter is real and that everything, including thoughts and feelings, can be explained by physical processes.
    • The philosopher defended materialism against idealist views of the mind.
    • In his lectures, he contrasted materialism with spiritual explanations of the universe.
    • Materialism argues that consciousness is a product of the brain.
What does "materialism" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean