Phrase guide

raw material

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˌɹɔː.məˈtɪə.ɹi.əl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A material in its unprocessed, natural state considered usable for manufacture.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Petroleum is the raw material refined into various fuels and needed for countless chemicals.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any physical product serving as input to a factory or other installation which processes it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, figuratively, uncountable

Examples

  • The assembly plant's raw materials are finished parts from Asian suppliers.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

material suitable for manufacture or use or finishing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: staple

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: material, stuff

Narrower terms: feedstock

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

65 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: հումք (humkʻ) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Azerbaijani: xammal — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Bashkir: сеймал (seymal) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Belarusian: сыраві́на (syravína) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Bulgarian: суровина́ (suroviná) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Chinese Mandarin: 原料 (yuánliào) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Chinese Mandarin: 原材料 (yuáncáiliào) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Czech: surovina — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Danish: råstof — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Dutch: grondstof — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Esperanto: krudaĵo — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Faroese: ráevni — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Finnish: raaka-aine — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • French: matière première — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Georgian: ნედლეული (nedleuli) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • German: Rohstoff — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • German: Grundstoff — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Hindi: कच्ची सामग्री (kaccī sāmagrī) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Hungarian: nyersanyag — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Icelandic: hráefni — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Irish: amhábhar — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Irish: bunábhar — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Italian: materia prima — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Japanese: 原料 (genryō) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Kazakh: шикізат (şikızat) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Korean: 원료 (wollyo) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Latvian: izejviela — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Latvian: izejmateriāls — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Macedonian: суровина (surovina) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Māori: rawa taketake — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Norwegian Bokmål: råmateriale — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Norwegian Bokmål: råmaterial — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Norwegian Bokmål: råstoff — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: råmateriale — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: råstoff — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Polish: surowiec — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Portuguese: matéria-prima — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Romanian: materie primă — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Russian: сырьё (syrʹjó) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Russian: необрабо́танный материа́л (neobrabótannyj materiál) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Serbo-Croatian: сѝровина — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Serbo-Croatian: sìrovina — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Slovak: surovina — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Slovene: surovina — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Spanish: materia prima — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Swedish: råvara — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Swedish: råmaterial — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Telugu: ముడి సరుకు (muḍi saruku) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Thai: วัตถุดิบ (wát-tù-dìp) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Turkish: ham madde — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Ukrainian: сировина́ (syrovyná) — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Vietnamese: nguyên liệu — material in its unprocessed, natural state
  • Chinese Mandarin: 原料 (yuánliào) — input to an installation which processes it
  • Chinese Mandarin: 原材料 (yuáncáiliào) — input to an installation which processes it
  • Dutch: grondstof — input to an installation which processes it
  • Finnish: raaka-aine — input to an installation which processes it
  • Hindi: कच्ची सामग्री (kaccī sāmagrī) — input to an installation which processes it
  • Irish: amh- — input to an installation which processes it
  • Italian: materia prima — input to an installation which processes it
  • Macedonian: суровина (surovina) — input to an installation which processes it
  • Polish: surowiec — input to an installation which processes it
  • Portuguese: matéria-prima — input to an installation which processes it
  • Swedish: råvara — input to an installation which processes it
  • Swedish: råmaterial — input to an installation which processes it
  • Thai: วัตถุดิบ (wát-tù-dìp) — input to an installation which processes it