immaterial

English

Etymology

From Middle English inmateriall, from Medieval Latin immāteriālis.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɪməˈtɪɹi.əl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

immaterial (comparative more immaterial, superlative most immaterial)

1. Having no matter or substance.

   Because ghosts are immaterial, they can pass through walls.

2. So insubstantial as to be irrelevant.

   Objection, Your Honour! The defendant's criminal record is immaterial to this case.

   • 1859, Hughes, Thomas, chapter 1, in Tom Brown at Oxford:

     He has also been good enough to recommend to me many tradesmen who are ready to supply these articles in any quantities; each of whom has been here already a dozen times, cap in hand, and vowing that it is quite immaterial when I pay—which is very kind of them; […]

Synonyms

• (having no matter or substance): See also Thesaurus:insubstantial
• (irrelevant): neither here nor there, ungermane; See also Thesaurus:unconnected

Antonyms

• (having no matter or substance): See also Thesaurus:substantial
• (irrelevant): material, germane; See also Thesaurus:connected

Translations

having no matter or substance

• Asturian: inmaterial
• Bulgarian: не́материален (bg) m (nématerialen)
• Catalan: immaterial (ca)
• Czech: nehmotný
• Finnish: aineeton (fi)
• French: immatériel (fr)
• Galician: inmaterial
• German: immateriell (de)

• Italian: immateriale (it)
• Occitan: immaterial
• Portuguese: imaterial (pt)
• Romanian: imaterial (ro)
• Russian: нематериа́льный (ru) (nemateriálʹnyj), невеще́ственный (ru) (neveščéstvennyj), бестеле́сный (ru) (bestelésnyj) (incorporeal, bodiless)
• Spanish: inmaterial (es)
• Volapük: nenstöfik

irrelevant

• Bulgarian: несъществен (bg) (nesǎštestven)
• Finnish: epäolennainen (fi), merkityksetön (fi), yhdentekevä (fi)
• French: non pertinent
• German: unwesentlich (de)

• Romanian: neimportant (ro) m
• Russian: несуще́ственный (ru) (nesuščéstvennyj), нева́жный (ru) (nevážnyj)
• Swedish: ovidkommande (sv), irrelevant (sv)

Anagrams

• maritimale