Are "the fact of the matter" and "as a matter of fact" the same?

For a long time, I had only known the phrase "matter of fact" to be used in "as a matter of fact..." However, for quite a few days, I have also been hearing, "the fact of the matter is..." in news debates.

Are these one and the same? If not, how and where they can be used?

Solution 1:

Assuming that you meant "matter of fact" (as opposed to "matter of the fact"), there is a difference between the two idioms.

"Matter of fact" (often used in a sentence as 'as a matter of fact, ...") is described by Mirriam-Webster as:

adhering to the unembellished facts; also : being plain, straightforward, or unemotional

Often the phrase is used to explain that a previously stated 'fact' or detail which was thought to be unlikely actually is in fact true or alternatively to counter a previous statement. Examples (from The Free Dictionary:

"As a matter of fact, John came into the room while you were talking about him."

"I'm not a poor worker. As a matter of fact, I'm very efficient."

"Fact of the matter" means simply "the truth". It's typically used to emphasize a fact (perhaps one that has been debated) but which isn't really a valid thing to debate about.

"The fact of the matter is that unless we drive faster, we wont arrive on time."