Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

matey

1 American  
[mey-tee] / ˈmeɪ ti /

noun

Chiefly British Informal.

plural

mateys

  1. comrade; chum; buddy.

matey 2 American  
[mey-tee] / ˈmeɪ ti /

adjective

Chiefly British Informal.

  1. sociable; friendly.

    a matey chat.
matey British  
/ ˈmeɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. friendly or intimate; on good terms

"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

noun

  1. friend or fellow: usually used in direct address

"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

Other Word Forms

  • mateyness noun
  • matiness noun

Etymology

Origin of matey1

First recorded in 1825–35; mate 1 + -y 2

Origin of matey2

First recorded in 1910–15; mate 1 + -y 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.

It doesn't match his public persona of the matey, personable, empathetic royal.

From BBC • Jan. 11, 2023

He can be matey or imperious as the fancy takes him.

From Golf Digest • May 5, 2020

He is very matey even if there must be 20 years between us.

From The Guardian • Nov. 1, 2019

His discussions of Gorey’s work tend to be brief and shallow, and the writing is annoyingly matey.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 3, 2018

Ross Wilcox took it, acting all matey to remind me we're not.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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.