semantic

adjective

se·​man·​tic si-ˈman-tik 

variants or less commonly semantical

si-ˈman-ti-kəl 

1

: of or relating to meaning in language

the process of semantic development

In real estate, there's more than a semantic difference between a dead end and a cul-de-sac.

—Sue Corbett

The semantic debate over their very job title speaks to the apparent discomfort some landlords are feeling about their business model—housing as a commodity.

—Bridget Read

2

: of or relating to semantics

semantically

si-ˈman-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of semantic in a Sentence

the process of semantic development

Recent Examples on the Web

Such are the strange semantic questions raised by studies of CD-35 2722 B, a brown dwarf with about 30 times the mass of Jupiter that’s orbiting a small star that is some 73 light-years from Earth in the system CD-35 2722. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 22 July 2026

Replit built a semantic layer over its data so agents knew which tables were sources of truth. — John Sviokla, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

In other words, sufrir has undergone a semantic extension that suffering in English has not. — Colin Millar, New York Times, 19 July 2026

The distinction between donation and adoption is not merely semantic, however, but part of a larger political project. — Risa Cromer, The Conversation, 17 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Greek sēmantikós "(of sounds) conveying meaning, significant, (of a circumstance) indicative," from sēmantós, verbal adjective of sēmaínein "to indicate, point out, signify, make a signal, give a sign, (in middle voice) mark, identify" (verbal derivative from the base of sēmat-, sêma "distinguishing mark, sign, token, signal, omen, tomb" and sēmeîon "marking, sign, token, signal") + -ikos -ic entry 1; sēm- in sêma and sēmeîon of uncertain origin

Note: The base sēm-, Doric sām- has been compared with Sanskrit dhyāma "thought" (attested only in lexica) and dhyā́yati "s/he thinks, contemplates." Greek sêma would then be the outcome of Indo-European *d^hi̯eh₂-mn̥-. The meanings "sign" and "thought" are too far apart, however, to support such an etymology. The derivative sēmeîon is peculiar in that -mat- is a suffix and would not ordinarily be split apart in order to add another suffix. A comparable formation is mnêma "reminder, record, memorial" and the near-synonymous mnēmeîon, though in this case the ulterior etymology is clear.

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for semantic

• atlantic
• gigantic
• pedantic
• romantic
• vedantic
• antic
• frantic
• transatlantic
• unromantic

Kids Definition

semantic

adjective

se·​man·​tic si-ˈmant-ik 

1

: of or relating to meaning in language

2

: of or relating to semantics

semantically

-ˈmant-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb