polysemous
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
When a word or phrase has several meanings, you can describe that word as polysemous. One word that's famously polysemous is "bank." You can choose a pronunciation for this adjective with stress on the second or third syllable since most dictionaries give both. Polysemous is a word lover's favorite, since it's about the meanings of words — lots of them in this case. Its complementary buddy is monosemous, which describes words that have only one meaning. The Greek root of polysemous is polysemos, "of many senses."
Vocabulary lists containing polysemous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some have dared to dream even bigger than polysemous aubergines.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 23, 2018
Welles was at the time in the grip of the semioticians: everything was polyvalent, polysemous, above all polysyllabic.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 28, 2015
In an article this month for the New Yorker, Jill Lepore also seemed to struggle with the polysemous nature of comics.
From The Guardian ● May 21, 2015
“It’s kind of, like, you go to the beach,” she said, indicating another polysemous garment, “and wear it with something like that.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2011
While anyone who can come up with polysemous speaks perfectly competent English, Nouvel's is a bit idiosyncratic.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
