especially: the thing that a symbol (such as a word or sign) stands for
referentadjective
Examples of referent in a Sentence
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There’s the referent; that’s the raccoon.—Kory Stamper, Longreads, 19 Mar. 2026 The potential metaphoric referents here quickly become clear, and are likely to vary by the viewer.—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026 Mimetic verisimilitude was never grounded in a simple correspondence with a referent, but in a preoccupation with the concepts of likelihood and plausibility, raising questions about how representations operate discursively.—Patrick R. Crowley, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026 This is referent power, which comes from people wanting to be associated with you because of your character and values.—Melody Wilding, CNBC, 4 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for referent
Word History
Etymology
Latin referent-, referens, present participle of referre