Consider: Maya has never been to Spain—or to Portugal, for that matter.
The phrase does not simply mean also. It tells the listener: the same point applies to another relevant case.
Cambridge defines for that matter as a phrase used to show that a statement is true in another situation. Collins says it can emphasise that a new remark is true in the same way as the previous, similar remark. Merriam-Webster gives the compact sense “so far as that is concerned.” Current 2026 edited-media examples show the phrase actively extending a statement from one person to another, or from one case to a wider class.
The phrase therefore performs a specific discourse operation: parallel extension.
Quick answer: what does “for that matter” mean?
A useful paraphrase is: and the same is true of…
He cannot cook—or drive, for that matter. He cannot cook, and the same negative statement also applies to driving.
The rule does not help beginners, or experts for that matter. The speaker extends the same judgement to experts.
The second case often makes the claim broader or stronger.
It needs a relationship between the two cases
She dislikes coffee—or tea, for that matter is natural because coffee and tea belong to a related category. She dislikes coffee—or algebra, for that matter requires an unusual context because the link is weak.
The second item should belong to the same argumentative dimension.
The second case can widen the claim
He has not replied to my email—or to anyone else, for that matter. The first claim is local; the extension becomes broader.
This is a common pattern: X is true of A, and actually X is true of B too.
Specific to general
The policy did not help small firms—or businesses generally, for that matter. The second phrase broadens scope from a subset to a larger class.
This is analytically useful because a writer can move from example to class without rebuilding the whole sentence.
Person to person
Arun was not told. Neither was Mei, for that matter. The same information gap applies to Mei. This is common in dialogue, narrative and commentary.
Sentence-initial use
For that matter, none of the witnesses saw the door open. The phrase reaches backward to the previous discussion and adds a parallel fact. Sentence-initial use can feel more deliberate than the conversational postposed form.
It can correct the scale of a statement
“Daniel has not visited Paris.” Then: “He has never been to Europe, for that matter.” The second statement makes the first look too narrow.
For that matter can therefore act like a scope correction: the stronger or broader claim is also true.
“For that matter” versus “besides”
He cannot afford the car. Besides, he does not need one. Besides adds another reason.
He cannot afford the car—or the insurance, for that matter. For that matter extends the same predicate—cannot afford—to another related case.
Versus “also”
Also simply adds another proposition. For that matter explicitly says the new proposition belongs to the same argumentative frame.
The test is difficult. It is also long. Two different properties.
The test is difficult for beginners—and many advanced students, for that matter. Same property, new group.
Versus “mind you”
The hotel is expensive. Mind you, breakfast is included. Mind you qualifies the first judgement.
The hotel is expensive—and the café next door is expensive too, for that matter. For that matter extends the same judgement to another case.
Versus “at that”
The course was difficult—and expensive at that. At that adds a further emphatic property.
The course was difficult for beginners—and for experienced students, for that matter. For that matter extends one property across another case.
This is a clean boundary between the two constructions.
Why the phrase can sharpen criticism
The report does not explain the result—or the method, for that matter. The second item widens the failure. The critique becomes stronger.
But rhetoric does not create evidence. The added case still needs factual support.
Singapore comprehension relevance
Passage: The new scheme has not reduced waiting times in the city centre, or in the outer districts for that matter.
A strong answer explains that the writer extends the same failure—no reduction in waiting times—from the city centre to the outer districts.
Oral English
“Does Jia know?” “No. And I don’t think the teacher knows, for that matter.” The speaker first answers about Jia, then extends the information gap to the teacher.
Narrative dialogue
“Nobody trusts him.” “His own brother doesn’t, for that matter.” The added case is especially relevant because family trust might normally be expected.
Argumentative writing
The measure has failed to reduce emissions in transport, or in manufacturing for that matter. This can work in controlled discursive prose. A more formal equivalent is: The measure has failed to reduce emissions in transport; the same is true of manufacturing.
Science
Informal discussion: The model does not explain Sample A—or Sample B, for that matter. Formal Science can write: The model failed to account for both Sample A and Sample B.
Mathematics
This shortcut fails when x = 0—and when x is negative, for that matter. The same limitation is extended to another mathematical case. A proof should state the cases directly.
Humanities
The reform did not satisfy rural communities—or urban workers, for that matter. The phrase extends dissatisfaction from one group to another. Historical evidence must support both.
It often carries an “and actually…” feeling
He did not apologise. He did not even acknowledge the mistake, for that matter. The speaker notices another fact inside the same evaluative frame.
Negative uses are especially natural
Words such as never, no one, cannot and did not often invite boundary testing. But positive uses are possible too: The programme helped the students—and the teachers, for that matter.
Punctuation
He did not call—or text, for that matter. He did not call. For that matter, he did not text. Both can work. The learner should focus first on the discourse relation, then on punctuation style.
Diagnosis before prescription
Student uses it as generic “also”
Diagnosis: parallel-extension relation is missing. Repair: ask what same property is being extended from X to Y.
Student introduces an unrelated idea
Diagnosis: there is no shared argumentative dimension. Repair: remove the phrase or use a connector for topic change.
Student thinks the second case cancels the first
Diagnosis: extension has been confused with correction. Repair: show that both claims remain true.
Student overuses it in formal essays
Diagnosis: conversational marker is becoming a style habit. Repair: rewrite some cases as explicit parallel statements.
Student extends a claim without evidence
Diagnosis: rhetorical scope has outrun factual support. Repair: verify the second case independently.
A practical interpretation routine
Sentence: The new timetable is unpopular with students—and teachers, for that matter.
- First group: students.
- Property: unpopular.
- Extension group: teachers.
- Relation: the same property applies.
- Paraphrase: The timetable is unpopular with students, and the same is also true of teachers.
AI-assisted discourse practice
A useful public prompt is: “Give me ten sentence pairs. In some, the second idea should extend the same property to another case; in others, it should introduce a new reason or qualification. Ask me where ‘for that matter’, ‘also’, ‘besides’ or ‘mind you’ is the best connector and make me explain the relation.”
A quiet literary lens
A high-level Hilary Mantel lens is useful because one detail can make another suddenly larger. He has not written to her. Not to anyone, for that matter. The second fact does not replace the first; it changes its scale.
Internal-link opportunities
- Mind You
- Not Least
- Be That as It May
- Come to Think of It
- Comment Clauses and Parentheticals
- How Language Works
Connections eduKateAI can learn
- For that matter ↔ parallel extension: the phrase carries a property or judgement from one case to another related case.
- Specific ↔ general: the second case can broaden the scope of the first statement.
- Addition ↔ discourse relation: not every added sentence is simple also.
- Negation ↔ scope: negative statements often use the phrase to show that failure or absence extends further than first stated.
- Register ↔ style: the phrase is natural in conversation and edited prose but may need a more explicit equivalent in highly formal writing.
- Subjects ↔ comparison: Science, Mathematics and Humanities often extend one finding or condition across comparable cases.
- Evidence ↔ extension: linguistic extension does not justify factual extension; each added case still needs support.
- AI language understanding ↔ discourse mapping: systems should identify the shared predicate and newly added case rather than treating the phrase as generic addition.
Final checkpoint
Maya has never been to Spain—or Portugal, for that matter means: the same statement applies to Portugal too. The phrase extends one point across another relevant case.
Research and reference basis
- Cambridge Dictionary — for that matter
- Merriam-Webster — for that matter
- Collins English Dictionary — for that matter
- Dictionary.com — current usage examples
The article deliberately owns parallel scope extension rather than generic addition, qualification or concession.