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 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
Robert Kagan also emphasized the role of nonmaterial motives in U.S. foreign policy.
—William A. Galston, WSJ, 20 Sep. 2022
So people escaped into the nonmaterial world.
—Keith Gessen, Vogue, 19 May 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 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
Robert Kagan also emphasized the role of nonmaterial motives in U.S. foreign policy.
—William A. Galston, WSJ, 20 Sep. 2022
So people escaped into the nonmaterial world.
—Keith Gessen, Vogue, 19 May 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
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There is self-regulation going on in the initial stages of spiritual development, and this is where calming does come into play.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
-
There’s a spiritual battle going on here.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Under this clash of Venus and Uranus, a blind spot could impact your literal plans or more metaphysical beliefs.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Suffice to say that Zi’s condition may not be a physical issue or even a mental one but, rather, a metaphysical state.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Positioned as a large-scale genre event, the series updates the legendary SFX property with a contemporary political and social edge, with Shun Oguri leading the cast as a detective hunting a seemingly incorporeal killer.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Jan. 2026
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In fact, magical life has the potential to be even more radically incorporeal than our own.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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To be clear, the cash component in the Mountain West and Pac-12 deals isn’t immaterial — certainly not in the era of revenue sharing and NIL.—
Jon Wilner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
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Besides Davis, the other players involved in the deal are largely immaterial.—
Brad Townsend,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In Ayurveda, Prana, the life force carried by the breath, is understood to nourish both the mind and body and can be viewed as a nonphysical substance, finer than oxygen.—
Trisha Swift,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Nonmaterial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonmaterial. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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