meaning
Meaning is what a word, action, or concept is all about — its purpose, significance, or definition. If you want to learn the meaning of the word meaning, you just need to look it up in the dictionary.
Meaning represents something’s intent or purpose. That something can be a book, a conversation, a television show, or life itself (as in, “the meaning of life”). When you read a poem, you try to figure out the author’s intended meaning by interpreting the words he has chosen. For example, if a poet describes love as “a prison,” you might interpret the meaning as his feeling confined by his love.
Definitions of meaning
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
“what is the
meaning of this sentence”-
synonyms:
import, significance, signification-
types:
- show 20 types…
- hide 20 types…
-
lexical meaningthe meaning of a content word that depends on the nonlinguistic concepts it is used to express
-
grammatical meaningthe meaning of a word that depends on its role in a sentence; varies with inflectional form
-
symbolisation, symbolizationthe use of symbols to convey meaning
-
sense, signifiedthe meaning of a word or expression; the way in which a word or expression or situation can be interpreted
-
connotation, intensionwhat you must know in order to determine the reference of an expression
-
referentsomething referred to; the object of a reference
-
burden, core, effect, essence, gistthe central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
-
intent, purport, spiritthe intended meaning of a communication
-
lesson, moralthe significance of a story or event
-
nicety, nuance, refinement, shade, subtletya subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
-
overtone(usually plural) an ulterior implicit meaning or quality
-
pointa brief version of the essential meaning of something
-
acceptation, word meaning, word sensethe accepted meaning of a word
-
antecedentthe referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun
-
denotatuman actual object referred to by a linguistic expression
-
designatumsomething (whether existing or not) that is referred to by a linguistic expression
-
bottom linethe decisive point
-
crux, crux of the matterthe most important point
-
rallying pointa point or principle on which scattered or opposing groups can come together
-
talking pointan especially persuasive point helping to support an argument or discussion
-
type of:
-
content, message, subject matter, substancewhat a communication that is about something is about
the idea that is intended
“What is the
meaning of this proverb?”-
synonyms:
substance-
types:
- show 8 types…
- hide 8 types…
-
semanticsthe meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, or text
-
implication, import, significance, subtexta meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferred
-
strain, tenorthe general meaning or substance of an utterance
-
undercurrent, undertonea subdued emotional quality underlying an utterance; implicit meaning
-
denotation, extension, referencethe most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to
-
referencethe relation between a word or phrase and the object or idea it refers to
-
connotationan idea that is implied or suggested
-
drift, purportthe pervading meaning or tenor
rich in significance or implication
Word Family