texture

American  

[teks-cher] / ˈtɛks tʃər /

noun

textures plural

1. the visual and especially tactile quality of a surface.

   rough texture.

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

   coarse texture.

3. 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.

4. an essential or characteristic quality; essence.

5. Fine Arts.

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

   2. the imitation of the tactile quality of represented objects.

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

7. a rough or grainy surface quality.

8. anything produced by weaving; woven fabric.

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verb (used with object)

textured, texturing

1. to give texture or a particular texture to.

2. to make by or as if by weaving.

texture British  

/ ˈtɛkstʃə /

noun

1. the surface of a material, esp as perceived by the sense of touch

   a wall with a rough texture

2. the structure, appearance, and feel of a woven fabric

3. the general structure and disposition of the constituent parts of something

   the texture of a cake

4. the distinctive character or quality of something

   the texture of life in America

5. the nature of a surface other than smooth

   woollen cloth has plenty of texture

6. art the representation of the nature of a surface

   the painter caught the grainy texture of the sand

7. 1. music considered as the interrelationship between the horizontally presented aspects of melody and rhythm and the vertically represented aspect of harmony

      a contrapuntal texture

   2. the nature and quality of the instrumentation of a passage, piece, etc

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verb

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

texture Scientific  

/ tĕks′chər /

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retexture
  verb (used with object)
• nontextural
  adjective
• semitextural
  adjective
• textural
  adjective
• textureless
  adjective
• untextural
  adjective
• nontexturally
  adverb
• semitexturally
  adverb
• texturally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• textures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of texture

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

Explanation

Texture is the physical feel of something — smooth, rough, fuzzy, slimy, and lots of textures something in between. Sandpaper is very rough — it has a gritty, rough texture. Other things, like linoleum, have a smooth texture. Texture has to do with how an object feels and its ingredients. Texture is very important in clothes: a cotton shirt has a different texture than a polyester shirt. You can also talk about other kinds of texture, like musical texture. A symphony and a rock song have different instruments, so they have different textures.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

texture textures textured texturing

Long a lethal baseliner—no one rips it better—he’s added angles, texture and touch to make his game less predictable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Much of the film’s first act revolves around the party’s inherent awkwardness, giving all four players the chance to relay the texture of their personalities.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

"I can't think of anything in American cooking that's common with that slimy texture."

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

Goth icon Siouxsie Sioux also became an influence, particularly in the use of layering, texture and attitude.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026

The clear red color, the texture and the scent of it pleased her.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Johnson’s carapace is detailed with skin-like textures, swollen bicep veins and living tattoos that offer him encouragement and advice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

These mats are made up of microscopic organisms such as algae and bacteria that bind sediment together and leave distinctive surface textures behind.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

Tommy, who used acrylic paint and a mixture of brushes and sponges to achieve different textures, said: 'I just wanted to make something colourful, plus feet are easier to draw than faces!

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

Built-in sinks allow shoppers to test face washes that come in creamy, gooey and foaming textures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

Her white fur beside the ram's wool—two textures, two colors, both called white in our inadequate language.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

On the first day of Haute Couture Week, which featured a star-packed show from Schiaparelli and a galaxy-inspired Iris Van Herpen collection, Anderson sent out a highly wearable selection of heavily textured and pleated outfits.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

The beds are dotted with scented flowers such as honeysuckle, jasmine and lavender, and textured foliage and grasses that patients can touch and smell from their beds.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Instead of allowing NIR photons to pass straight through the thin silicon layer, the textured surface scatters the light repeatedly, increasing the likelihood that the silicon absorbs it.

From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026

Harris also shows us the burn scars that ripple up Racine’s arm and across Anaia’s face, textured skin that makes strangers blanch, to which Racine lashes out defensively.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

The towels were cream-colored and textured with small squares.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

"We think this texturing is a strong candidate for everyday use and we're ready to partner with companies to refine it for large-scale manufacturing," she said.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2026

“The texturing on the Lego brick does a really good job of antialiasing.”

From The Verge ● Aug. 20, 2022

For instance, it was Holm who in the 1960s showed the Tlingit master carver Nathan Jackson surfacing and texturing techniques with an adze.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2020

The bust was then digitally scanned for a complex animation process that combined the facial movement capture of an actor, skin texturing and shading.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2018

Art concepts include modeling, texturing, organic and inorganic work and unwrapping – which Gaber describes as figuring out where lines will go for filling in, "kind of like paint by numbers."

From US News ● Jan. 25, 2016

Related Words

• balance
• character
• composition
• consistency
• fabric
• feeling
• makeup
• nature
• pattern
• quality
• sense
• smoothness
• structure
• surface
• taste
• touch