noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Someone's placing higher importance on nonmaterialist values such as autonomy and self-expression, as opposed to materialist values such as economic and physical wellbeing.; The theory that a positive correlation exists between one's level of affluence during childhood and such values, and that these persist throughout adulthood irrespective of any changes to one's personal economic circumstances. uncountable
2. 2
   Someone's placing higher importance on nonmaterialist values such as autonomy and self-expression, as opposed to materialist values such as economic and physical wellbeing.; The theory that political preferences in contemporary affluent (mostly Western) societies are increasingly based on such values, especially with regard to the leftist spectrum, in such a way that parties move away from traditional Marxist materialism. uncountable

Etymology

From post- + materialism.

Related phrases

self expression

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.