raw material

noun

Synonyms of raw materialnext
: crude or processed material that can be converted by manufacture, processing, or combination into a new and useful product
Wheat … is raw material for the flour mill …—C. A. Koepke
broadly : something with a potential for improvement, development, or elaboration
… perplexities are often the raw material of discoveries. —Agnes M. Clerke

Synonyms of raw material

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of raw material in a Sentence

His experiences during the war were the raw material for the story.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Dyers Association of Tirupur attributed the problem to exports of raw materials used to manufacture dyes from India to neighboring countries. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 Stormwater monitoring will also be required, including good housekeeping, spill prevention and cleanup, preventing raw materials from contacting rain and managing stormwater to not cause erosion or pollution, according to permit documents. — Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 The raw materials driving the shift read almost like a farmers market crossed with a weather report. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026 The exact chemical makeup of the raw material that became Earth and Mars is unknown, so the calculations depend on assumptions, the study notes. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for raw material

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of raw material was in 1612

Rhymes for raw material

See All Rhymes for raw material

Browse Nearby Words

rawly
raw material
raw milk
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Raw material.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raw%20material. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

raw material

noun
: something from which a useful or desirable product can be manufactured or produced
wheat and rye are the raw materials for a flour mill
collect raw material for writing a story

More from Merriam-Webster on raw material

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about raw material

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of deportment

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All