Matey

Pronunciation varies by accent · adjective

Meaning

(UK) Sociable or friendly..

Definitions by Sense

1. (UK) Sociable or friendly.
2. (informal) Diminutive of mate, friend.
3. (nautical, slang) A fellow sailor; often used affectedly, especially when portraying a pirate.
4. (nautical, slang) A dockyard worker.
5. Alternative form of maty (“native house servant in India”).

Example Sentences

You've been very matey with that new bird.

2002, Jon Latimer, Alamein, page 128, he wrote: ‘They took a bit of getting used to. I was dressed as a general and they treated me in the most matey way, but despite this it was easy to see that there was nothing wrong with their battle discipline.’

She asked in what sort of accident I had broken my back, and when I told her that I had been shot down she became much more matey.

We decided that it would be more matey to have communal meals, so all the guests and hosts foregathered at the hotel for lunches and dinners, and at every sitting there were about 40 of us, all in high spirits.

His opening salvo, “If you didn′t care what happened to me, and I didn′t care for you,” gives way to a more matey mood at the end: “You know that I care what happens to you. And I know that you care for me.”

Adolphus Egerton Ryerson was his full name, but he insisted on being called Egerton Ryerson, under the mistaken conviction that this was much more matey than Adolphus.

Hello, matey, just back from the pub?

1920, Francis Stevens (Gertrude Barrows Bennett), Claimed, 2009, Munsey′s, page 49, And take my advice, matey. When yer buys it, don′t yer make Lutz′s mistake and think yer can wriggle out easy.

Synonyms for matey

Antonyms for matey

Related Words

Word Forms

• matier
• matiest
• mateys

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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