🧱 Physical existence 📑 Importance or relevance

materiality

2 8.4

Importance of a fact or detail that needs attention

noun
/məˌtɪəriˈælɪti/

Specialized

: relevancia

While AAR and PDR are measures of the likelihood of a misstatement, materiality determines the magnitude of a significant misstatement.
materiality threshold
statement materiality
level materiality

We've spent the last few thousand years really focused on becoming expert in fact, materiality and judgement.

Examples

The definitional and measurement issues concerning materiality have not been addressed by the SYSTRUST standards.

Academic text (2000)
What level the materiality threshold should be set at is subject to differences in opinion.

Academic text (2016)
The primary reason they cited for making such a presentation was the materiality of bad debt expense to the financial statements.

Academic text (1993)
Consider first a misstatement whose actual impact on price is greater than the materiality threshold.

Academic text (2016)
Many providers could have opted not to disclose charity care for materiality reasons.

Academic text (1993)
The concept of materiality is crucial in accounting, as it helps determine what information is significant enough to influence decision-making.
Understanding the materiality of evidence in a court case can greatly affect the outcome, as only relevant facts are considered by the jury.
In financial reports, analysts often discuss the materiality of various figures to assess their importance and implications for investors.

Synonyms

relevance

vsmateriality

99 3.4

A close connection to what is being discussed

adds the requirement of importance and need for careful attention

meaningfulness

vsmateriality

1 4.9

Something that has a clear purpose or value

requires direct connection to the matter as well as significance

pertinence

vsmateriality

1 6.3

How much something connects to the topic being discussed

also stresses significance and whether something merits careful attention

momentousness

vsmateriality

Formal

1 7.9

Being very important and likely to have big effects

covers relevance and importance without requiring extreme or historic importance

weightiness

vsmateriality

1 6.7

The quality of being important and serious that makes people pay attention

emphasizes relevance alongside significance rather than pure seriousness

substantialness

vsmateriality

1 6.6

The quality of being large, solid, or important

stresses relevance to a matter as well as importance

pertinency

vsmateriality

1 8.3

Clearly related to the subject or question

adds concern for overall importance and need for careful consideration

worthwhileness

vsmateriality

1 7.8

Something that has enough value to make the time or effort a good use

emphasizes relevance and importance rather than justifying time spent

Antonyms

irrelevance

10 5.3

Something not related to the main topic

insignificance

6 5.8

A state of not being important or having little effect

immateriality

9.7

Not important to the subject or discussion

How Important

criticality

Specialized

4 9.1

significance

232 3.8

materiality

Specialized

2 8.4

relevance

99 3.4

triviality

6 5.4

Surface Forms

materiality singular

materialities plural

Morphology

materiality = material (semi-transparent) = material + ity

Formed regularly from 'material' (meaning 'relevant/important') + '-ity', but the 'relevant/significant' sense of 'material' is specialized and may be unfamiliar to average learners.

Etymology

The word materiality also comes from material, and a helpful way to remember this meaning is to think of the word matter, because if something 'matters' it is 'important'. So materiality means how relevant or important something is.