material noun [uncountable and countable] cloth used for making clothes, curtains etc:
She bought some pretty dress material.
fabric noun [uncountable] cloth used for making clothes, curtains etc:
Man-made fabrics such as polyester are easy to wash and iron.
furnishing fabrics
cloth noun [uncountable] woven material, especially material made from natural substances such as cotton and wool, which has not yet been made into any other products:
The main trade was the production of woollen cloth.
textiles noun [plural] formal a general word for all types of cloth – used especially when talking about the business of producing and selling them:
Textiles are one of Mexico’s main exports.
the textile industry
substance noun [countable] a type of material such as a chemical or a mineral:
The green colour of the leaf is due to a substance called chlorophyll.
Dioxin is one of the most toxic substances known to man.
matter noun [uncountable] formal a type of substance – used especially in the following phrases:
waste matter from the body
It is important to add plenty of organic matter to the soil.
People throw away lots of vegetable matter.
stuff noun [uncountable] informal a substance - used especially when you do not know exactly what it is:
What’s that sticky stuff on the floor?

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲