Form without meaning would not serve communication. Semantics is the study of meaning in language—how words, phrases, and sentences connect to concepts, referents, and truth conditions.

Lexical semantics examines word meanings and relations such as synonymy and hyponymy. Compositional semantics studies how phrase meanings build from parts. Formal approaches use logical tools; cognitive approaches emphasize conceptual structure.

Semantics interfaces with pragmatics, which handles context-dependent enrichment. Ambiguity, vagueness, and presupposition are classic topics. Insights feed lexicography, philosophy of language, and natural language understanding systems.

• Study of linguistic meaning
• Covers words, phrases, and sentences
• Includes lexical and compositional branches
• Distinct from but linked to pragmatics