semantics

[ si-man-tiks ]

/ sɪˈmæn tɪks /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR semantics ON THESAURUS.COM

noun (used with a singular verb)

Linguistics.

the study of meaning.
the study of linguistic development by classifying and examining changes in meaning and form.

Also called significs. the branch of semiotics dealing with the relations between signs and what they denote.

the meaning, or an interpretation of the meaning, of a word, sign, sentence, etc.: Let's not argue about semantics.

general semantics.

Nearby words

semantic differential, semantic field, semantic memory, semantic tableau, semantic web, semantics, semaphore, semarang, semasiology, sematic, sematology

Origin of semantics

First recorded in 1895–1900; see origin at semantic, -ics

Related forms

se·man·ti·cist

[si-man-tuh-sist] /sɪˈmæn tə sɪst/, se·man·ti·cian

[see-man-tish-uh n] /ˌsi mænˈtɪʃ ən/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for semantics

Her disassociation with the feminist label and its negative connotations just boils down to semantics.
Susan Sarandon Says She’s Not a Feminist: Why She Dumped the Label|Lizzie Crocker|July 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But the wiser voices in the movement know that, now, they face much graver problems than semantics.
Death on the Nile|Christopher Dickey, Mike Giglio|July 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Nathaniel Rich on why we should be worried—and how semantics have put us in danger.
Be Afraid, Very Afraid|Nathaniel Rich|March 15, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In that sense, his defense may be correct but only as semantics.
Bernanke's Arrogance Problem|Zachary Karabell|December 6, 2010|DAILY BEAST

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour engaged in a battle of semantics with Candy Crowley on CNN's State of the Union.
April 11: 7 Best Moments from Sunday Talk|The Daily Beast Video|April 11, 2010|DAILY BEAST
(e) Semantics, which teaches us the meanings of words and forms.
The Principles of Language-Study|Harold E. Palmer
Our teleprobes may leave something to be desired in the matter of semantics.
The Women-Stealers of Thrayx|Fox B. Holden
Yes, sir; on this document 5066, it indicates—and this too is a matter of semantics, I am thinking.
Warren Commission (12 of 26): Hearings Vol. XII (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
In a way, this threefold sequence shows how syntax is enveloped in semantics, and both in the pragmatics that determines them.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin
There is too the study of semantics—the science of meanings as distinguished from phonetics, the science of sound.
Why we should read|S. P. B. Mais

British Dictionary definitions for semantics

semantics

/ (sɪˈmæntɪks) /

noun (functioning as singular)

the branch of linguistics that deals with the study of meaning, changes in meaning, and the principles that govern the relationship between sentences or words and their meanings

the study of the relationships between signs and symbols and what they represent

logic

the study of interpretations of a formal theory
the study of the relationship between the structure of a theory and its subject matter
(of a formal theory) the principles that determine the truth or falsehood of sentences within the theory, and the references of its terms

Derived Forms

semanticist, noun

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

Medicine definitions for semantics

semantics

[ sĭ-măn′tĭks ]

n.

The study or science of meaning in language forms.

The study of the relationships between various signs and symbols and what they represent.

Culture definitions for semantics

semantics

The scientific or philosophical study of the relations of words and their meanings.

Note

Semantics is commonly used to refer to a trivial point or distinction that revolves around mere words rather than significant issues: “To argue whether the medication killed the patient or contributed to her death is to argue over semantics.”