material goods

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While the relationship between money and happiness is typically framed as a choice between spending on material goods or spending on experiences, many Americans are expressing a different desire for their money: saving more.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 11, 2025

As Bob Batchelor wrote in his paper "Advertising in the 1920s," most Americans both had more financial success than they had in the previous decade and increasingly equated material goods with personal success.

From Salon • Mar. 13, 2023

In their 1972 book, “The Limits to Growth,” the researchers warned that unless humankind changed the way it used and consumed material goods on a global scale, civilization would likely collapse before 2070.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 24, 2022

These shoes are more than just material goods.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2022

But others who study consumer behavior say that the wanting and getting of material goods is not just a competitive exercise.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times