Meaning & use
semantics
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Meanings
noununcountabletechnical
The study of what words, phrases and sentences mean.
Grammar: Looks plural but takes a singular verb: semantics is a branch of linguistics.
Patterns
- the semantics of something
She studied semantics at university to understand how meaning works.
Semantics is concerned with meaning rather than grammar.
A course in formal semantics covered truth and logic.
nounsingular
The particular meaning of a word or text in a given context.
Grammar: Often with the: the semantics of the contract.
Patterns
- the semantics of something
The semantics of the word home differ between cultures.
Lawyers fought over the semantics of one clause.
Programmers must define the semantics of each command.
noununcountableinformaldisapproving
An argument that turns on small differences in wording rather than on real substance.
Grammar: Often in just semantics or a matter of semantics.
Patterns
- it's just semantics
- a matter of semantics
Whether we call it a fee or a charge is just semantics.
Let's not argue about semantics when the real problem is the budget.
He dismissed the disagreement as a matter of semantics.
Common combinations
- just semantics
- Call it a bonus or a gift; it is just semantics.
- a matter of semantics
- The difference is merely a matter of semantics.
- formal semantics
- Formal semantics uses logic to describe meaning.
- argue over semantics
- They spent an hour arguing over semantics.
- lexical semantics
- Lexical semantics looks at the meanings of individual words.
Synonyms and how they differ
- meaning
- Meaning is the everyday word for what something signifies, while semantics is the study or system behind it.
- wording
- Wording means the exact words chosen, which is close to the informal use of semantics.
- nitpicking
- Nitpicking is openly critical of pointless detail, while semantics may simply refer to the subject.
Opposites
Word family
- semantic adjective
- relating to meaning in language
- semantically adverb
- with regard to meaning
- semanticist noun
- an expert in semantics
Commonly confused: semantics or syntax?
semantics vs syntax
Syntax is about how words are arranged in sentences, while semantics is about what they mean.
Practice
Whether we call the extra payment a fee or a surcharge is just ___; the amount is the same.
Choose one answer.
Just semantics means a difference only in wording. Syntax is sentence structure, which is not the point being made.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “semantics”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.