semantics

noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction se·man·tics \ si-ˈman-tiks \

Definition of semantics

1 : the study of meanings:

a : the historical and psychological study and the classification of changes in the signification of words or forms viewed as factors in linguistic development

b (1) : semiotics

(2) : a branch of semiotics dealing with the relations between signs and what they refer to and including theories of denotation, extension, naming, and truth

2 : general semantics

3 a : the meaning or relationship of meanings of a sign or set of signs; especially : connotative meaning

b : the language used (as in advertising or political propaganda) to achieve a desired effect on an audience especially through the use of words with novel or dual meanings

Examples of semantics in a Sentence

More than semantics is at stake. In the case of obesity, the debate has heightened in the wake of major diet-pill recalls last year. Many new diet nostrums are in various stages of testing, and the FDA's bar for approving new drugs is lower for disease treatments than for other problems, such as baldness or skin wrinkles. —Laura Johannes et al., Wall Street Journal, 9 Feb. 1998
Over the years Wierzbicka has gained a distinct reputation for playing hardball with others in the linguistics community. Though her rhetoric can be rather scathing at times, there is no question that her studies in semantics are a force to be reckoned with. —Joseph Hilferty, Word, April 1997

Origin and Etymology of semantics

see semantic

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1874

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

SEMANTICS Defined for English Language Learners

semantics

noun

Definition of semantics for English Language Learners

: the study of the meanings of words and phrases in language
: the meanings of words and phrases in a particular context

Medical Dictionary

semantics

noun plural but singular or plural in construction se·man·tics \ si-ˈmant-iks \

medical Definition of semantics

: the study of meanings:

a : the historical and psychological study and the classification of changes in the signification of words or forms viewed as factors in linguistic development

b (1) : semiotic

(2) : a branch of semiotic dealing with the relations between signs and what they refer to and including theories of denotation, extension, naming, and truth