matte
1 Americanadjective
noun
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a dull or dead surface, often slightly roughened, as on metals, paint, paper, or glass.
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a tool for producing such a surface.
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Metallurgy. an unfinished metallic product of the smelting of certain sulfide ores, especially those of copper.
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Movies. matte shot.
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
noun
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
Explanation
Matte things aren't shiny, but instead have a somewhat dull or flat surface. When you print out a photo, you can usually choose between a glossy or matte finish. The matte surface of your new refrigerator doesn't reflect your image the way your old shiny stainless steel one did, and your grandmother's excessive use of face powder gives her skin a matte look. Wall paint can be purchased in different finishes, ranging from matte (or flat) to glossy. The French root is mat, "dead, dull surface," from the Old French meaning, "dull or dejected," which may stem from the Latin mattus, "maudlin with drink."
Vocabulary lists containing matte
Pet
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Firekeeper's Daughter
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Monday's Not Coming
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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.
See Examples For:
Marked by veils of heavily diluted color that are rubbed into the canvas weave to create a weightless, matte effect, its soft, evanescent surface was intended to read, Whistler said, “like breath on glass.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Skinner recommends matte or sweat-proof SPF to help your make-up last longer.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
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 fancy shoppy-shop with quinoa and bulgur in matte, tasteful tubs?
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026
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
The schoolhouse is a dull, matted red, as are other architectural elements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
She travelled to the animal charity's Glasgow base to collect him and found George "more or less fine, save for some matted fur and bad teeth".
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2025
Tattered curtains, matted carpets and missing shower heads were replaced.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2024
As erosion slows, marsh and streamside vegetation is rebounding and putting down densely matted root systems that can increasingly stand firm against flooding, or surging waves.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 31, 2024
A vodyanoi rose up, his green hair matted with algae, tiny black scales clustering here and there on his sickly green skin.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Wearing skullcaps, about 60 kneeled in the sun on green matting spread over bits of scrubby brown vegetation.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2023
Buttar expressed her shock at the lack of adequate crash matting and remarked during the sentencing that Watts was lucky to be alive, according to the news release.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2023
It said the firm "did not extend the crash matting needed to mitigate the consequences of an unintended fall following changes to the set and the sequence of the stunt".
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2023
Families pick the type of frame and matting and then a professional framer gets started.
From New York Times ● Oct. 8, 2022
At the top of the staircase, a drab corridor stretched out ahead, with rough coconut matting on the floor.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
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.
