Essential and Material

Essential

Essential adjective - Impossible to do without.
Usage example: a well-stocked public library is essential for the well-being of a community

Material is a synonym for essential in basic topic. In some cases you can use "Material" instead the word "Essential" as an adjective or a noun.

Nearby Words: essence, essentially, essentiality

Material

Material adjective - Having great meaning or lasting effect.
Usage example: there's no material difference between the two designs for the skyscraper: one's as bad as the other

Essential is a synonym for material in important topic. You can use "Essential" instead the word "Material" as an adjective or a noun, if it concerns topics such as weighty, relevant.

How words are described

good good essential good material
bad bad essential bad material

Both words in one sentence

  • No Sell Justified by the majority of their body being non-essential and the essential parts being composed of material so dense it violates physics.
    Source: No Sell
  • Video Game / Halo 4 All There in the Manual: The game has several essential plot elements which aren't explicitly explained in-game, but only in expanded material such as the novels.
  • Stupidity Is the Only Option E.g., in some versions of the first game, you can't put your invisibility cloak back on after sending Norbert away, since getting caught is essential to the plot of the source material.
Cite this Source
Material and Essential. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/essential/material
Essential & Material. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/essential/material>.
Material or Essential. 2016. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/essential/material.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "essential" and "material" have occurred on timeline