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

“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

“As a matter of fact, I agreed with them.”

From Los Angeles Times

Ms Hodson wrote: "I asked him about the incident at his admissions meeting and he was monotone, emotionless and very matter of fact about his intentions."

From BBC

He is matter of fact about his achievement.

From BBC

Related Words

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