Synonyms of subject matter

subject matter

noun

as in topic

the information or ideas that are discussed or dealt with in a book, movie, etc.; what something is about

I found the film's subject matter to be quite disturbing.

The magazine's editors care more about style than about subject matter.

She disapproves of the artist's choice of subject matter.

Related Words

• topic
• content
• theme
• subject
• motif
• motive
• purpose
• matter
• idea
• substance
• question
• talking point
• problem
• issue
• consideration
• count
• basis
• essence
• body
• fundamental
• point
• bulk
• heart
• burden
• core
• argument
• nucleus
• sum
• kernel
• main
• mass
• staple
• net
• generality
• essential
• pivot
• crux
• gist
• marrow
• centerpiece
• purport
• debate
• nub
• bottom
• pith
• quick
• grist
• keynote
• nubbin
• affair
• essentiality

Dissimilar Words

• aside
• tangent
• excursion
• parenthesis
• digression
• interjection

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of subject matter

But Nunez, as befits her subject matter, is high on today’s crop of young authors. — Literary Hub, 14 July 2026

Erwin’s passion for the subject matter helped propel him to the ambitious biopic that focuses on George Washington’s formative years. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 13 July 2026

That technical emphasis became central to the legal strategy at the Cincinnati trial, where the defense argued that subject matter was beside the point and the art lay entirely in composition. — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

This study addresses the research gap by asking public school principals to share information about their in-service learning opportunities, including the frequency of those opportunities, their subject matter, and their usefulness. — Mac Murray, Hartford Courant, 10 July 2026