matter of fact

¹ American  

noun

1. something of a factual nature, as an actual occurrence.

2. Law. a statement or allegation to be judged on the basis of the evidence.

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matter-of-fact ² American  

[mat-er-uhv-fakt] / ˈmæt ər əvˈfækt /

adjective

1. adhering strictly to fact; not imaginative; prosaic; dry; commonplace.

   a matter-of-fact account of the political rally.

2. direct or unemotional; straightforward; down-to-earth.

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matter of fact British  

noun

1. a fact that is undeniably true

2. law a statement of facts the truth of which the court must determine on the basis of the evidence before it Compare matter of law

3. philosophy a proposition that is amenable to empirical testing, as contrasted with the truths of logic or mathematics

4. actually; in fact

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adjective

1. unimaginative or emotionless

   he gave a matter-of-fact account of the murder

Other Word Forms

• matter-of-factly adverb
• matter-of-factness noun

Etymology

Origin of matter of fact¹

First recorded in 1575–85

Origin of matter-of-fact¹

First recorded in 1705–15

Example Sentences

“As a matter of fact, it’s time for our prayers now,” her father said.

From Literature

"The Premier League's dominance is just denoted as a matter of fact," Honigstein said.

From BBC

As a matter of fact, he’d probably be much worse off.

From Literature

“And so our audiences came back pretty much as soon as they could come back. As a matter of fact, our subscription and single ticket numbers have grown.”

From Los Angeles Times

As a matter of fact, not a single comedy at all, much less a goofy comedy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• deadpan
• down-to-earth
• factual
• pragmatic
• sober
• stoic
• unvarnished