matter of fact

¹ American  

noun

1. something of a factual nature, as an actual occurrence.

2. Law. a statement or allegation to be judged on the basis of the evidence.

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matter-of-fact ² American  

[mat-er-uhv-fakt] / ˈmæt ər əvˈfækt /

adjective

1. adhering strictly to fact; not imaginative; prosaic; dry; commonplace.

   a matter-of-fact account of the political rally.

2. direct or unemotional; straightforward; down-to-earth.

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matter of fact British  

noun

1. a fact that is undeniably true

2. law a statement of facts the truth of which the court must determine on the basis of the evidence before it Compare matter of law

3. philosophy a proposition that is amenable to empirical testing, as contrasted with the truths of logic or mathematics

4. actually; in fact

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adjective

1. unimaginative or emotionless

   he gave a matter-of-fact account of the murder

Other Word Forms

• matter-of-factly adverb
• matter-of-factness noun

Etymology

Origin of matter of fact¹

First recorded in 1575–85

Origin of matter-of-fact²

First recorded in 1705–15

Example Sentences

Dubois - never one for lengthy monologues - kept his answers short and matter of fact.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

“As a matter of fact, I agreed with them.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 26, 2025

Actually, as a matter of fact, we didn't.

From BBC • Sep. 21, 2025

“As a matter of fact, I was right.”

From Slate • Aug. 18, 2025

It made her dizzy to think that her father didn’t actually belong here in Japan, and as a matter of fact, maybe her parents belonged nowhere in the world, not here and not there.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

Related Words

• deadpan
• down-to-earth
• factual
• pragmatic
• sober
• stoic
• unvarnished