semantic

adjective

se·man·tic si-ˈman-tik

variants or less commonly semantical

si-ˈman-ti-kəl

: of or relating to meaning in language

: 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 One is that, except for a few edge cases, semantic entropy caught more false answers than any other methods. —

Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024 The researchers said the method of detecting semantic entropy outperformed several other approaches for detecting AI hallucinations. —

Billy Perrigo, TIME, 19 June 2024 The faux semantic debate in right-wing media over these terms thus appears to rely, purposely or not, on an illogical conflation of the two words. —

Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 16 June 2024 Especially during deliberative decision-making, people use conceptual knowledge of the world that is consciously accessible, commonly referred to as semantic memory. —

Leo Gugerty, The Conversation, 10 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for semantic

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'semantic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of semantic was in 1890

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Semantic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semantic. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.

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Kids Definition

semantic

adjective

se·man·tic si-ˈmant-ik

: of or relating to meaning in language

: of or relating to semantics

semantically

-ˈmant-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Last Updated: 3 Jul 2024 - Updated example sentences

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semantic

adjective

Examples of semantic in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near semantic

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition