DictionaryAI

semantics

noun
USsi-MAN-tiks/sɪˈmæntɪks/

Pluralsemantics

5 meanings of semantics

Practice

  1. 1
    meaningnounplural
    The meaning of a word, part of a word, or something someone says.

    The semantics of the word 'cool' have changed a lot over the years.

    Young children pick up the semantics of new words very quickly.

    Similarmeaning

    Note
  2. 2
    just wordsnouncolloquialuncountable
    A small, unimportant difference, like an argument about words that does not really matter.

    Call it a fee or a charge, it's just semantics. We still have to pay.

    Stop arguing about semantics and help me fix the problem.

    Similarhairsplitting, quibbling, nitpicking, pedantry

    Note
  3. 3
    nounplural
    What the parts of a computer language actually do, not just how they are written.

    The two programming languages look alike, but their semantics are quite different.

    The manual explains the semantics of each command.

    Note
  4. 4
    study of meaningnoununcountable
    The part of language study that looks at what words mean.

    In college she took a class in semantics and loved it.

    Semantics asks why one word can have many meanings.

    Note

Less common meaning

  1. 5
    nounplural
    What each single word in a text means, not what the whole text means.

    The lawyers argued about the semantics of each word in the contract.

    The teacher asked us to look past the semantics of single words and think about the poem's message.

    Similarmeaning

Practice

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Origin

From the French word sémantique, which came from Ancient Greek sēmantikós.