What does mammonistic mean?
Mammonistic means characterized by an exclusive or overriding devotion to material wealth, money, and financial gain. The adjective carries a strongly critical, often moral or religious tone: it suggests a spirit of Mammon, the personification of riches and avarice, rather than simply describing an interest in business or material things. It is therefore often used in criticism of consumer culture, predatory commerce, or values that place wealth above ethical, communal, or spiritual concerns. In sentences such as “His success came from a mammonistic approach to the market,” the word identifies the pursuit of profit as the governing principle, not merely one factor among several. Mammonistic is formal and comparatively uncommon, so it usually carries more rhetorical force than materialistic, mercantile, or acquisitive. It is most useful when the writer wants to name not merely greed but a wider, almost ideological worship of money.
adjectiveCharacterized by an overriding devotion to material wealth, money, or financial gain, especially to the point of neglecting ethical, communal, or spiritual concerns.
- Given to the worship of material wealth or the pursuit of money as a dominant value.
"Critics condemned the corporation's mammonistic pursuit of profit at the expense of the surrounding community."
"The novel portrays a wealthy merchant whose mammonistic ambition destroys his family."
"Environmental groups accused the company of adopting a mammonistic approach to natural resources."
Mammonistic echoes a Biblical warning that no one can serve both God and wealth.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of mammonistic
Mammonistic was formed in English from mammon and the adjective-forming suffix -istic. Mammon came through Latin from Greek Μάμων, a term ultimately associated with Aramaic māmōn, meaning wealth. In biblical usage Mammon personifies riches as a rival to religious devotion, giving the modern adjective its strongly critical moral and religious associations.
How mammonistic is actually used
Formal, comparatively uncommon, and strongly evaluative. It is more censorious and morally charged than neutral terms such as commercial or business-oriented, and it often evokes ideas of greed, avarice, or the worship of money.