texture

[ teks-cher ]

/ ˈtɛks tʃər /

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See synonyms for: texture / textured / textures / texturing on Thesaurus.com

noun

the visual and especially tactile quality of a surface: rough texture.

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

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.

an essential or characteristic quality; essence.

Fine Arts.

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

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

a rough or grainy surface quality.

anything produced by weaving; woven fabric.

verb (used with object), tex·tured, tex·tur·ing.

to give texture or a particular texture to.

to make by or as if by weaving.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of texture

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

OTHER WORDS FROM texture

tex·tur·al, adjectivetex·tur·al·ly, adverbtex·ture·less, adjectivenon·tex·tur·al, adjective

non·tex·tur·al·ly, adverbre·tex·ture, verb (used with object), re·tex·tured, re·tex·tur·ing.sem·i·tex·tur·al, adjectivesem·i·tex·tur·al·ly, adverbun·tex·tur·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use texture in a sentence

We’ve thickened broths with boiled potato, pureed right into the hot broth, or even roasted vegetables, which give gravy depth of flavor in addition to texture.
How to make pan gravy with or without meat drippings|Daniela Galarza|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
I preferred the Cava brand here, as its thicker texture clings to the meat nicely.
Harissa-glazed turkey legs with sweet potatoes deliver big flavor on a budget|Becky Krystal|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
You can even tell the texture of the ground on which your character is walking without looking at the screen.
Video games feel different on the PlayStation 5 and that’s a good thing|Stan Horaczek|November 9, 2020|Popular-Science
Such cases of departure from all rationale long have lent such beautiful texture to the sport.
There is plenty of happiness in college football — if you know where to look|Chuck Culpepper|November 9, 2020|Washington Post

Use one or two in a room to add texture, warmth, color or function.
Shopping with the pros: Annie Elliott shares her favorite items from Room & Board|Mari-Jane Williams|November 5, 2020|Washington Post
They sport a leathery, crackle-textured skin and glow with salt-and-pepper zest.
The Texas Church of Beef|Jane & Michael Stern|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Night Guest is a beautifully textured novel built around this basic philosophical question.
Caught in Her Mind: Fiona McFarlane’s ‘The Night Guest’|Andrea Walker|October 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Another key theme was layering—such as textured miniskirts over longer, narrow skirts—and suede or tutus over layers.
Chanel, Back to the Future|Liza Foreman|July 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
What emerges is as complex and textured as any novel while providing a primer on the use of power in a democracy.
Our Favorite Books of 2012: Tina Brown, Andrew Sullivan, and Others’ Picks|The Daily Beast|December 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I mean, he had such a mouth on him—so textured, so open, so often on the money.
Who Is Philip Roth’s Portnoy Satirizing?|Bernard Avishai|August 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
At the jungle's edge, leaves and fronds sped multi-textured rippling along the foliage.
The Jewels of Aptor|Samuel R. Delany
It is considered a good corn land, but is too light-textured for wheat, although a considerable acreage is devoted to this crop.
History and Comprehensive Description of Loudoun County, Virginia|James W. Head
Made of fine-textured gray stone St. Ouen is a stately vessel, but, add the critics, its uniform excellence is average.
How France Built Her Cathedrals|Elizabeth Boyle O'Reilly
There is a tendency for the ends of the pieces of curd to remain granular and so cause an open-textured cheese.
The Book of Cheese|Charles Thom and Walter Warner Fisk
Attempts to pile the curd too fast result in a soft, mushy, open-textured product.
The Book of Cheese|Charles Thom and Walter Warner Fisk

British Dictionary definitions for texture

texture

/ (ˈtɛkstʃə) /

noun

the surface of a material, esp as perceived by the sense of toucha wall with a rough texture

the structure, appearance, and feel of a woven fabric

the general structure and disposition of the constituent parts of somethingthe texture of a cake

the distinctive character or quality of somethingthe texture of life in America

the nature of a surface other than smoothwoollen cloth has plenty of texture

art the representation of the nature of a surfacethe painter caught the grainy texture of the sand

music considered as the interrelationship between the horizontally presented aspects of melody and rhythm and the vertically represented aspect of harmonya contrapuntal texture
the nature and quality of the instrumentation of a passage, piece, etc

verb

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

Derived forms of texture

textural, adjectivetexturally, adverbtextureless, adjective

Word Origin for texture

C15: from Latin textūra web, from texere to weave

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

Scientific definitions for texture

texture

[ tĕks′chər ]

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.

texture

Origin of texture

OTHER WORDS FROM texture

Words related to texture

How to use texture in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for texture

Derived forms of texture

Word Origin for texture

Scientific definitions for texture