general semantics


noun(used with a singular verb)
  1. a philosophical approach to language, developed by Alfred Korzybski, exploring the relationship between the form of language and its use and attempting to improve the capacity to express ideas.

Origin of general semantics

1
First recorded in 1930–35

Words Nearby general semantics

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How to use general semantics in a sentence

  • The principles of general semantics come in very handy in my business, especially in criminal-investigation work, like this.

    Murder in the Gunroom | Henry Beam Piper

British Dictionary definitions for general semantics

general semantics

noun
  1. (functioning as singular) a school of thought, founded by Alfred Korzybski, that stresses the arbitrary nature of language and other symbols and the problems that result from misunderstanding their nature

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012