matter-of-factly

English

WOTD – 7 December 2007

Etymology

matter-of-fact +‎ -ly

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /ˈmætəɹ əv ˈfækt.li/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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Adverb

matter-of-factly (not comparable)

1. As though stating a fact.
   • 2002, Sam Williams, Free as in Freedom, Epilogue:

     "I took the liberty of inviting somebody else to have dinner with us," Stallman said, matter-of-factly, giving me the same cat-like smile he gave me back in that Palo Alto restaurant.

2. As though the situation is normal and not unusual; not dramatically or fancifully.
   • 1934, Robert E. Howard, The People of the Black Circle:

     He was not of the East; and he came of a breed who fought devils and wizards as promptly and matter-of-factly as they battled human foes.

Synonyms

• (as though the situation is normal): clinically, dispassionately

Related terms

• as a matter of factly
• matter-of-fact
• fact of the matter

Translations

as though stating a fact

• Finnish: asiallisesti (fi), toteavasti

as though the situation is normal

• Finnish: asiallisesti (fi)