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Synonyms

matte

1 American  
[mat] / mæt /
Or mat,

adjective

  1. having a dull or lusterless surface.

    matte paint; a matte complexion; a photograph with a matte finish.

noun

  1. a dull or dead surface, often slightly roughened, as on metals, paint, paper, or glass.

  2. a tool for producing such a surface.

  3. Metallurgy. an unfinished metallic product of the smelting of certain sulfide ores, especially those of copper.

  4. Movies. matte shot.

verb (used with object)

matted, matting

  1. to finish with a matte surface.

matte 2 American  
[mat] / mæt /

noun

Mining.

  1. a mass of timber caved beneath overburden so as to cushion the fall of the overburden and separate it from mineral to be extracted beneath.

matte 1 British  
/ mæt /

noun

  1. an impure fused material consisting of metal sulphides produced during the smelting of a sulphide ore

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
matte 2 British  
/ mæt /

noun

  1. films television a mask used to blank out part of an image so that another image can be superimposed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of matte1

First recorded in 1640–50; from French mat (masculine), matte (feminine), Old French, from Late Latin mattus “moist, soft, weak,” perhaps from unattested maditus, derivative of Latin madēre “to be wet”

Origin of matte2

< German; akin to mat 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This makes it possible to switch between glossy and matte finishes, producing visual effects that surpass what current screens can achieve.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

The mining company’s 2026 earnings are expected to surge by 235%, driven by factors including likely higher nickel matte payable terms from 78% to 82% of the LME price.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025

Where “Cross” might be said to have a matte finish, “The Day of the Jackal,” created by the Northern Irish novelist and screenwriter Ronan Bennett, is high-gloss.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2024

On June 21, the company posted a Sticker Mule–branded video of an orange matte Cybertruck.

From Slate • Jul. 23, 2024

Their heads were adorned with matte black helmets, and they reminded him of characters in one of those shoot-’em-up military games.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.