The modern meta definition is "referring to itself or to its own kind." A story about writing a story is meta. So is a meeting held to plan how the team runs meetings. The word suggests stepping back one level and looking at the thing from above.
Meta began life as a Greek prefix, meta-, found in words like metaphor, metadata and metamorphosis. Today it also stands alone as an informal adjective, and gamers use it as a noun. Here is the meaning of meta in each use.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
Self-referential; about something of its own type; one level abovePart of speech
Adjective (informal), noun (gaming), prefix (meta-)Pronunciation
MET-uhPrefix sense
After, beyond, about, or changeOrigin
Greek meta, after, beyond, withRelated words
metadata, metacognition, metaphysics, metamorphosisRegister
Informal as an adjective; technical in science and philosophy
Meta meaning, one job at a time
To define meta clearly, it helps to see its three main jobs:
- Self-referential (adjective, informal): describes a work or conversation that comments on itself or its own form. A comic strip whose characters complain about the artist is meta.
- About things of its own kind (adjective): a meta-analysis is a study of other studies; a meta-discussion is a discussion about how to discuss.
- The current best strategies (noun, gaming): in competitive games, the meta is the set of tactics and choices most players see as strongest right now. It is short for metagame.
There is also a technical chemistry sense, where meta describes two positions on a benzene ring separated by one carbon atom.
The prefix meta- and what it adds
| Word | Meaning | Sense of meta- |
|---|---|---|
| Metadata | Data that describes other data, like a photo's date and location | About |
| Metacognition | Thinking about your own thinking | About itself |
| Metaphysics | Philosophy of what exists and what reality is | Beyond |
| Metamorphosis | A complete change of form, as from caterpillar to butterfly | Change |
| Metaphor | Speaking of one thing as another | Across, carrying over |
See our pages on metaphor and cognitive for two of these families.
Origin and history
The Greek word meta meant after, beyond, among or with, and it formed many compound words that English borrowed. Metaphysics is a well known case: the name is traditionally explained as coming from the books of Aristotle that later editors placed after his work on physics, and it then came to suggest study beyond the physical. From there, meta- took on the idea of going one level higher, as in metalanguage, a language used to talk about language. Using meta on its own as an adjective for self-referential things is a much more recent, informal development.
Examples of meta in sentences
- The play gets very meta in the second act when the actors start arguing about the script.
- Our team spent an hour in a meta meeting about why our meetings run long.
- In that card game, the meta shifted after the latest update made one deck far weaker.
- The researchers ran a meta-analysis that combined the results of forty smaller studies.
- Her joke about how her jokes never land was a little too meta for the crowd.
Meta definition in gaming and online talk
In competitive games and sports, the meta means the current state of play: the choices most top players make because they work best. Players say a character is "meta" (strong right now) or "off-meta" (unusual). You will sometimes see claims that meta stands for "most effective tactics available," but that is a later explanation fitted to the word, not its real source; it comes from metagame. Online, people also say "that's so meta" for any joke or post that points at itself, a cousin of irony.
Meta in classrooms, labs and studios
In science and data work, metadata and meta-analysis are everyday terms. In philosophy, metaethics asks what moral words mean, rather than what is right; see our philosophy page. In schools, metacognition is a learning skill: noticing how you study. In writing and film, meta describes works that break the fourth wall or comment on their genre. Related terms sit under science and ideas on this site.
Frequently asked questions
When people call something meta, what are they saying?
It means the thing refers to itself or to its own kind. A story about storytelling, a song about writing songs, or a debate about how to debate can all be called meta.
What is the meta in a game?
The meta is the set of strategies, characters or items that players currently see as most effective. It changes when a game is updated or when players discover new tactics.
Does meta stand for something?
No. Meta is a Greek word, not an acronym. The phrase most effective tactics available is a backronym, an explanation invented later to fit the letters.
How do you pronounce meta?
Say MET-uh, stressing MET. In American speech the t often sounds like a soft d, close to MED-uh.
Is meta a word or just a prefix?
Both. Meta- began as a prefix in words like metadata. Today meta is also used on its own as an informal adjective and, in gaming, as a noun.
What is metadata in simple terms?
Metadata is information about other information. For a photo, it includes the date taken, the camera settings and the file size, not the picture itself.