Definitions

matter-of-fact

ADJECTIVE

realistic, unembellished

Synonyms

STRONGEST

deadpan down-to-earth factual pragmatic sober stoic unvarnished

WEAK

apathetic calm cold cold-blooded dry dull earthy emotionless feasible flat hard-boiled impassive impersonal lifeless mundane naked objective phlegmatic plain practical prosaic prosy serious stolid unaffected unidealistic unimaginative unimpassioned unsentimental

Antonyms

STRONGEST

excited unreasonable

WEAK

emotional histrionic imaginative lively

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.

As handled by Ms. Littman, it’s matter-of-fact, a fate that lands with a plain, inarguable thud, and devastating all the same.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

“All the President’s Men” underscores that sentiment with its matter-of-fact final shot, watching a teletype machine writing out years of front-page headlines leading to Nixon’s resignation.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2026

The tone was matter-of-fact, direct, resolute, but moments of fear crept in.

From Slate • Feb. 11, 2026

She was so matter-of-fact about it that she turned a conversation that once brought me such humiliation into something pleasant, with me thanking her profusely.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

I suspect she did not want me to feel bereft at her departure and so was matter-of-fact.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Vocabulary lists containing matter-of-fact

"Birches" by Robert Frost

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Unit 2, Words to Know

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Neutral Tones

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