What does immateriality mean?
Immateriality is the condition of being unimportant, trivial, or irrelevant, and it most often appears in judgments about disputes, questions, or differences that do not affect the larger matter at hand. The word can also describe the incorporeal nature of a being or substance, especially in philosophical and theological writing, although this sense is much less common today. A phrase such as “the immateriality of the issue” conveys that the issue lacks practical significance, while “a matter of immateriality” treats it as too slight to matter. Although somewhat formal and literary in tone, the word is especially useful when discussing the relative importance of competing concerns. Its connection with the older word material gives it a clear conceptual contrast: what is material exists as physical substance, whereas what is immaterial may lack physical existence, practical importance, or both.
The state or quality of being immaterial, especially of having little or no significance or importance.
"The immateriality of the distinction made it difficult to justify the dispute."
This is the dominant modern sense, especially in discussions of questions, disputes, and distinctions that do not significantly affect the outcome.
The condition of not being corporeal or subject to material existence.
"The theory attributes immateriality to the soul and treats it as distinct from the body."
This sense is chiefly philosophical or theological and is much less common in everyday use.
The plural is grammatically regular but rarely needed because the word is normally used in the singular.
"The philosophy considers the apparent immaterialities of abstract ideas."
In a culture that rewards urgency, recognizing immateriality can reveal that the loudest issue may not be the one that matters.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does immateriality come from?
Immateriality is formed from the prefix im-, meaning “not,” and materiality, a derivative of material, which comes ultimately from Latin materia, “matter” or “substance.” The prefix and suffix together express the condition of being without material substance and, by extension, of being without importance.
Related word forms
How immateriality is actually used
In modern usage, the word most often describes something as unimportant, trivial, or irrelevant. Its rarer philosophical and theological sense refers to incorporeality or the absence of material existence.
Easily confused with immateriality
Immunity means protection or resistance from something, whereas immateriality means a lack of material existence or importance.