semantics

[si-man-tiks]

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. Linguistics.

   1. the study of meaning.

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

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

3. the meaning, or an interpretation of the meaning, of a word, sign, sentence, etc..

   Let's not argue about semantics.

4. general semantics.

semantics

/ sɪˈmæntɪks /

noun

1. 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

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

3. logic

   1. the study of interpretations of a formal theory

   2. the study of the relationship between the structure of a theory and its subject matter

   3. (of a formal theory) the principles that determine the truth or falsehood of sentences within the theory, and the references of its terms

semantics

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

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.”

Other Word Forms

• semanticist noun
• semantician noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of semantics¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; semantic, -ics

Example Sentences

“You can get into semantics,” he said, “but the bottom line is whether the department used all of the tools available to put the Jan. 1 fire out. And it did not.”

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"Ordinary people don't care about the semantics, they want to see punishment, and public opinion is very much against Andrew, the Palace knows that, and the language very much reflect that".

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For Xi, the difference between not supporting Taiwan’s independence and explicitly opposing it is more than semantics.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The word “unprecedented” is actually accurate, but dependent on semantics.

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Ryan Mac: But on the semantics, Twitter does not exist anymore.

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