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Synonyms

matte

1 American  
[mat] / mæt /
Or mat,

adjective

  1. having a dull or lusterless surface.

    matte paint; a matte complexion; a photograph with a matte finish.

noun

  1. a dull or dead surface, often slightly roughened, as on metals, paint, paper, or glass.

  2. a tool for producing such a surface.

  3. Metallurgy. an unfinished metallic product of the smelting of certain sulfide ores, especially those of copper.

  4. Movies. matte shot.

verb (used with object)

matted, matting

  1. to finish with a matte surface.

matte 2 American  
[mat] / mæt /

noun

Mining.

  1. a mass of timber caved beneath overburden so as to cushion the fall of the overburden and separate it from mineral to be extracted beneath.

matte 1 British  
/ mæt /

noun

  1. an impure fused material consisting of metal sulphides produced during the smelting of a sulphide ore

"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
matte 2 British  
/ mæt /

noun

  1. films television a mask used to blank out part of an image so that another image can be superimposed

"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

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

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.

The fancy shoppy-shop with quinoa and bulgur in matte, tasteful tubs?

From Salon

The question for AI was how to achieve a flawless gloss or matte finish as quickly as possible.

From The Wall Street Journal

In one project, the couple saved several hundred dollars by spray-painting existing light fixtures matte black rather than replacing them.

From The Wall Street Journal

The three collaborated on the matte black, three-story binoculars, clad in black rubberized paint.

From Los Angeles Times

I’ll load a basket with waxy yellow potatoes still matte with soil, dark cherry preserves, that last jar of golden pickled beets.

From Salon

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.