meta

1 of 2

adjective

ˈme-tə 

1

informal : showing or suggesting an explicit awareness of itself or oneself as a member of its category : cleverly self-referential

"The Bar?" she said. "I know the place. Been meaning to drop by. Love the name. Very meta."

—Gillian Flynn

The meta gift of the year: a picture of a lamp that actually lights up. Designer Finn Magee's trompe l'oeil is printed on plastic, embedded with electronics, and equipped with a cord and switch.

—Karissa Bell et al.

A new comedy about fantasy football, which follows a group of armchair quarterbacks as they try to tackle life. How meta would it be if people started betting on what was going to happen on the show?

—TV Guide

Leave it to Larry to contort public desire for a Seinfeld reunion into a meta plot that chronicles his not-necessarily-noble struggle to pull off a Seinfeld reunion.

—Dan Snierson

2

informal : concerning or providing information about members of its own category

… Slate, a Web zine published by Microsoft that devotes much of its content to what [editor Michael] Kinsley calls "meta news"—news about the news.

—Rick Marin et al.

Given that the coverage of any one search engine is limited, the simplest means of improving the coverage of Web search engines is to combine the results of multiple engines, as is done with meta search engines such as MetaCrawler (www.metacrawler.com).

—Steve Lawrence

meta-

2 of 2

prefix

variants or met-

1

a

: occurring later than or in succession to : after

metestrus

b

: situated behind or beyond

metencephalon

metacarpus

c

: later or more highly organized or specialized form of

metaxylem

2

: change : transformation

metaplasia

3

[metaphysics] : more comprehensive : transcending

metapsychological

—usually used with the name of a discipline to designate a new but related discipline designed to deal critically with the original one

metamathematics

4

a

: involving substitution at or characterized by two positions in the benzene ring that are separated by one carbon atom

meta-xylene

b

: derived from by loss of water

metaphosphoric acid

Examples of meta in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

And in a meta gesture, Shizu Saldamando showed portraits of all the artists included. —The Artnews Awards Jury, ARTnews.com, 4 Dec. 2024

Gromit in a way represents the human touch, which is what the film is about on a meta level, with the handmade animation. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Dec. 2024

In Ralph Breaks the Internet, Disney’s most meta film, Vanellope Von Schweetz discovers her destiny belongs in the hyper-violent video game called Slaughter Race. —Barry Levitt, TIME, 27 Nov. 2024

Charles Yu’s adaptation of Interior Chinatown for Hulu is a meta, high-concept series that mixes satire, surrealism, and sharp commentary on Asian American representation in media. —Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

independent use of meta-

Prefix

New Latin & Medieval Latin, from Latin or Greek; Latin, from Greek, among, with, after, from meta among, with, after; akin to Old English mid, mith with, Old High German mit

First Known Use

Adjective

1988, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing meta

• meta-analysis

Medical Definition

meta

1 of 2 adjective

ˈmet-ə 

: relating to, characterized by, or being two positions in the benzene ring that are separated by one carbon atom

meta-

2 of 2 prefix

variants or met-

1

: isomeric with or otherwise closely related to

metaldehyde

2

: involving substitution at or characterized by two positions in the benzene ring that are separated by one carbon atom

—abbreviation m-

meta-xylene or m-xylene

compare orth- sense 2, para- sense 2

Geographical Definition

Meta

geographical name

Me·​ta ˈmā-tä 

river over 620 miles (995 kilometers) long in northeastern Colombia flowing into the Orinoco River on the Venezuela–Colombia boundary