mattering

Meanings

1. 1noununcountabletechnical

   The feeling of being valued by other people and of making a difference in their lives.

   Grammar: No plural; used in psychology and wellbeing: mattering protects mental health.

   Patterns

   • a sense of mattering
   • mattering to someone

   Teachers noticed that a sense of mattering helped shy students speak up.

   Feelings of mattering tend to grow when people are asked for their opinions.

   Researchers link mattering with lower rates of loneliness.

2. 2verbintransitive

   Present participle of matter: being important or having an effect on someone or something.

   Grammar: No object: it keeps mattering to her.

   Patterns

   • mattering to someone

   Her opinion keeps mattering more as the project grows.

   Nothing seems to be mattering to him lately.

   What is mattering most right now is getting some rest.

Word forms

Common combinations

sense of mattering

A sense of mattering helps teenagers feel secure.

feelings of mattering

Feelings of mattering grow in supportive families.

mattering to others

Mattering to others gives meaning to life.

mattering at work

Mattering at work improves job satisfaction.

Synonyms and how they differ

belonging

Belonging is about being part of a group, while mattering is about being valued as an individual.

significance

Significance is the broad idea of importance, while mattering is personal and social.

self-worth

Self-worth is how you value yourself, but mattering depends on how others treat you.

Opposites

Word family

matter verb

to be important

matter noun

a subject or issue

mattered verb

past tense of matter

immaterial adjective

not important

Commonly confused: mattering or mattress?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “mattering”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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