matter-of-fact

adj.

1. Relating or adhering to facts; literal.
2. Straightforward or unemotional: "the matter-of-fact tones in which the local guides describe the history of the various places" (New York Times).

matter-of-factly mat'ter-of-fact'ly adv.
matter-of-factness mat'ter-of-fact'ness n.

adjective

1. Lacking liveliness, charm, or surprise: arid, aseptic, colorless, drab, dry, dull, earthbound, flat, flavorless, lackluster, lifeless, lusterless, pedestrian, prosaic, spiritless, sterile, stodgy, unimaginative, uninspired. See excite/bore/interest.
2. Having or indicating an awareness of things as they really are: down-to-earth, hard, hardheaded, objective, practical, pragmatic, pragmatical, prosaic, realistic, sober, tough-minded, unromantic. See excite/bore/interest, real/imaginary.
3. With little or no emotion or expression: dry, impassive, unemotional. See attitude/good attitude/bad attitude/neutral attitude, excite/bore/interest.

Something that is literally or factually true, as in The records showed it to be a matter of fact that they were married in 1960. This idiom often occurs in the phrase as a matter of fact, as in As a matter of fact, you are absolutely right. Matter of fact was first recorded in 1581, and originally was a legal term distinguishing the facts of a case from the law, called matter of law, applying to it. It began to be applied to other concerns in the late 1600s.

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adj

Definition: realistic, unembellished
Antonyms: emotional, imaginative, lively

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In Hume, objects of knowledge are divided into matters of fact (roughly, empirical things known by means of impressions) and relations of ideas. The contrast, also called Hume's fork, is a version of the a priori/a posteriori distinction, but reflects the 17th- and early 18th-century belief that the a priori is established by chains of intuitive comparison of ideas. See also demonstration, relations of ideas.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

That which is to be determined by the senses or by the testimony of witnesses who describe what they have perceived through the senses of sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing.

Trials are highly complex forums for the consideration of fact, opinion, and law. Each area is distinct in its type and in who has responsibility for evaluating it. Courts use the term matter of fact to distinguish a particular kind of information. A fact is a thing done — an actual occurrence or event — and it is presented during a trial in the form of testimony and evidence. The rules of evidence generally allow witnesses to testify as to what they personally know about the facts in dispute, but do not allow witnesses to testify as to their opinions (i.e., thoughts, beliefs, or inferences) in regard to those facts. An exception is made for expert witnesses, whose technical or scientific specialty is considered sufficient to allow them to state their opinion on relevant and material matters.

Facts are often difficult to ascertain because the record is unclear or because competing interpretations of the facts are presented. Questions of fact are for the jury, which must weigh their validity in reaching a verdict. The jury's role is kept distinct from that of the court, which has the authority to rule on all matters of law.

See: matter of law.

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - prosaisk, saglig, nøgtern

Nederlands (Dutch)
zakelijk, feitelijk

Français (French)
adj. - terre à terre, détaché, pratique

Deutsch (German)
adj. - sachlich

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - ρεαλιστικός, προσγειωμένος, πρακτικός, πεζός, στεγνός

Italiano (Italian)
pragmatico

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - impassível

Русский (Russian)
прозаичный, фактический

Español (Spanish)
adj. - práctico, realista, prosaico

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - saklig, opersonlig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
实质的, 平常的, 事务性的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 實質的, 平常的, 事務性的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 실제의

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 事実だけを述べる, 無味乾燥な, 実際的な

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) بلا عواطف أو خيال, واقعي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮קר, ענייני, מעשי‬

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