texture
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the way a surface or substance feels when you touch it, such as being smooth, rough, or soft.
n.the tactile quality of a surface or substance, determined by its physical composition and finish.
Simple“The smooth texture of the silk felt very comfortable against her skin.”
In context“The chef experimented with contrasting textures, pairing a crunchy nut topping with a smooth, velvety chocolate mousse.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
n.the way different parts of a piece of art, music, or writing are put together.
n.the quality of a creative work resulting from the interaction and arrangement of its constituent elements.
Simple“The director used different sounds to create a rich texture in the play.”
In context“The composer achieved a dense orchestral texture by layering woodwind melodies over a complex rhythmic foundation in the lower strings.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
n.a digital image used to cover a 3D shape to make it look like a real surface.
n.a digital image or bitmap applied to the surface of a three-dimensional graphical model to simulate detail and material properties.
Simple“The game looks realistic because the stone walls have a detailed texture.”
In context“The lead artist spent weeks refining the skin textures to ensure the character models appeared lifelike under various lighting conditions.”
Synonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
adj.having a very strong or interesting feel that makes you react.
adj.possessing a highly pronounced or aesthetically pleasing physical quality; often used to describe something with high sensory impact.
Simple“That new rug is so texture, I could sit on it all day.”
In context“The experimental fashion line was incredibly texture, featuring heavy knits and jagged plastic elements that challenged traditional ideas of comfort.”
“The ingredients in the brine interact with the meat in different ways, affecting its flavor, color and texture while also helping keep it safe to eat.”
“Snail mucus is mostly water; it’s the mucins (glycoproteins) and complex carbohydrates that give it that slimy, viscous texture.”
Borrowed from Middle French texture, borrowed from Latin textūra (“a weaving, web, texture, structure”), from textus, past participle of texere (“to weave”). See text. Doublet of tessitura.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.