texture

American  

[teks-cher] / ˈtɛks tʃər /

noun

• textures
  plural

1. the visual and especially tactile quality of a surface.

   rough texture.

2. the characteristic structure of the interwoven or intertwined threads, strands, or the like, that make up a textile fabric.

   coarse texture.

3. the characteristic physical structure given to a material, an object, etc., by the size, shape, arrangement, and proportions of its parts.

   soil of a sandy texture; a cake with a heavy texture.

4. an essential or characteristic quality; essence.

5. Fine Arts.

   1. the characteristic visual and tactile quality of the surface of a work of art resulting from the way in which the materials are used.

   2. the imitation of the tactile quality of represented objects.

6. the quality given, as to a musical or literary work, by the combination or interrelation of parts or elements.

7. a rough or grainy surface quality.

8. anything produced by weaving; woven fabric.

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verb (used with object)

textured, texturing

1. to give texture or a particular texture to.

2. to make by or as if by weaving.

texture British  

/ ˈtɛkstʃə /

noun

1. the surface of a material, esp as perceived by the sense of touch

   a wall with a rough texture

2. the structure, appearance, and feel of a woven fabric

3. the general structure and disposition of the constituent parts of something

   the texture of a cake

4. the distinctive character or quality of something

   the texture of life in America

5. the nature of a surface other than smooth

   woollen cloth has plenty of texture

6. art the representation of the nature of a surface

   the painter caught the grainy texture of the sand

7. 1. music considered as the interrelationship between the horizontally presented aspects of melody and rhythm and the vertically represented aspect of harmony

      a contrapuntal texture

   2. the nature and quality of the instrumentation of a passage, piece, etc

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verb

1. (tr) to give a distinctive usually rough or grainy texture to

texture Scientific  

/ tĕks′chər /

1. The general physical appearance of a rock, especially with respect to the size, shape, size variability, and geometric arrangement of its mineral crystals (for igneous and metamorphic rocks) and of its constituent elements (for sedimentary rocks). A sandstone that forms as part of an eolian (wind-blown) deposit, for example, has a texture that reflects its small, rounded sand grains of uniform size, while a sandstone that formed as part of a fluvial deposit has a texture reflecting the presence of grains of varying sizes, with some more rounded than others.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retexture
  verb (used with object)
• nontextural
  adjective
• semitextural
  adjective
• textural
  adjective
• textureless
  adjective
• untextural
  adjective
• nontexturally
  adverb
• semitexturally
  adverb
• texturally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• textures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of texture

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin textūra web, equivalent to text ( us ) (past participle of texere to weave) + -ūra -ure

Explanation

Texture is the physical feel of something — smooth, rough, fuzzy, slimy, and lots of textures something in between. Sandpaper is very rough — it has a gritty, rough texture. Other things, like linoleum, have a smooth texture. Texture has to do with how an object feels and its ingredients. Texture is very important in clothes: a cotton shirt has a different texture than a polyester shirt. You can also talk about other kinds of texture, like musical texture. A symphony and a rock song have different instruments, so they have different textures.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

texture textures textured texturing

Half the corn is blended with stock and cream into a velvety sauce; the rest stays whole for juicy texture.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Later innovations introduced elements of narrative texture and tone, as when the question mark entered the repertoire over the eighth and ninth centuries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

During and after cooking, the team measured temperature, internal pressure, volume, texture, moisture, and oil content.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

Weger thrives on “kinetic energy,” be it color, texture or a pair of bedazzled Italian loafers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

There’s Jena, all blond hair and lanky limbs in her blue, fitted Warcross armor, its dragon scale texture tailored to match the level.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

The record concludes with “Tyrants of the Mellow Moon,” a final ode to AutoTune with a circular chord production and unusual synth textures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

For those who use art to help shade in the textures of their lives — as sticking points to shape a memory — there is no better place to do so than Letterboxd.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

An armada of monster-pirates, the Kakamora — think coconut-flavored Gremlins — are a hectic horde with nice textures when the camera holds on them for longer than two seconds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Gigi Hadid walking the outdoor runway in a black feather cocoon was a visual delight, with all looks showcasing flowing designs in a variety of textures and colours.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

For hours she watched the rapid sequence of textures that flapped like streamers outside her window: vast latifimdios, provinces of royal palms, black mountains encircled with clouds.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

“Inspired by Balinese architecture and thoughtfully reimagined through a distinctly Californian lens, the residence celebrates natural materials, soaring timber ceilings, expansive walls of glass, and raw, textured stone,” the listing description notes.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

"My skin feels dull and textured and just looks more tired in general, and my chest feels heavier and sore."

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

The fossil includes unusually large canine and premolar teeth, molars with rounded and strongly textured chewing surfaces, and a particularly sturdy jaw.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026

On the first day of Haute Couture Week, which featured a star-packed show from Schiaparelli and a galaxy-inspired Iris Van Herpen collection, Anderson sent out a highly wearable selection of heavily textured and pleated outfits.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

I took my time, running my fingers along the textured wall along the hallway, my eyes on Audrey’s bedroom doorway.

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

"We think this texturing is a strong candidate for everyday use and we're ready to partner with companies to refine it for large-scale manufacturing," she said.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2026

“The texturing on the Lego brick does a really good job of antialiasing.”

From The Verge ● Aug. 20, 2022

“There was a certain amount of resiliency that made the texturing, I thought, ‘Wow that is what I had been missing,’ ” Jackson remembered.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2020

He devoted himself to piano, keyboards and guitar, texturing his recorded work with blurry drone tones until sounds seem to bleed together.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2020

Art concepts include modeling, texturing, organic and inorganic work and unwrapping – which Gaber describes as figuring out where lines will go for filling in, "kind of like paint by numbers."

From US News ● Jan. 25, 2016

Related Words

• balance
• character
• composition
• consistency
• fabric
• feeling
• makeup
• nature
• pattern
• quality
• sense
• smoothness
• structure
• surface
• taste
• touch