Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Not reflecting light; not glossy; having a dull, flat surface: Describes a surface that lacks shine or luster.
   • Tangled in a dense mass: Describes hair, fibers, or vegetation that is twisted together into a thick, knotted, and often messy clump.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Not glossy):

  • The artist preferred a matted finish for the photograph to avoid reflections.
  • After years of use, the once-shiny paint on the door had become matted and dull.

• Adjective (Tangled):

  • The dog's fur was matted with mud and leaves after its adventure in the woods.
  • We had to cut through the matted vines to clear a path in the garden.

Advanced Usage

• "to become/get matted": To become tangled or to lose its gloss.
  • If you don't brush your hair regularly, it can easily become matted.
  • The fabric got matted after several washes.

Variants and Related Words

• Mat (verb): To become tangled or to form into a dense mass.
  • The fibers will mat together if they get wet.
• Matt / Matte (adjective): An alternative spelling for the 'not glossy' meaning, often used for finishes (e.g., matte paint, matte screen).
  • She chose a matte lipstick instead of a glossy one.

Synonyms

• Dull, flat, lusterless: For the 'not glossy' meaning.
• Tangled, knotted, snarled, felted: For the 'tangled' meaning.

Related Phrases

• Matted down: Pressed into a flat, dense layer.
  • The grass was matted down where the deer had slept.

Adjective

1. not reflecting light; not glossy
   • flat wall paint
   • a photograph with a matte finish
2. tangled in a dense mass
   • tried to push through the matted undergrowth