SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
materialize
verb
To become real or take definite form.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Become real
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topMaterialize often describes something expected finally becoming real; appear can describe only becoming visible.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See materialize in use
The promised new rehearsal space never materialized.
The ideas never materialized.
1 more example
The project remained embryonic while the group explored audiences, spaces, and possible activities. For an actual event to materialize, someone would have to turn those possibilities into confirmed arrangements. When a room and three readers were finally scheduled, the volunteers could point to concrete progress while still acknowledging that much of the festival was only beginning to take shape.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license