Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

semantic memory

British  

noun

  1. the recollection of facts and concepts Compare episodic memory

"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

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.

By combining task based experiments with fMRI data, the team found no measurable difference in brain activity between successful episodic and semantic memory retrieval.

From Science Daily • Feb. 3, 2026

A semantic memory can be recalled as though it were episodic and vice versa, in degrees.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

That suggested they had learned valuable facts—and that their semantic memory was strong.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 18, 2021

In psychology, episodic memory is distinguished from semantic memory.

From The Guardian • Jan. 28, 2020

Although storytelling is impossible, Turk-Browne has discovered that Johnson can leverage her surviving semantic memory to follow very short narratives.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 23, 2015

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "semantic memory" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com