REFERENT
Dictionary entry overview: What does referent mean?
• REFERENT (noun)
The noun REFERENT has 3 senses:
1. something referred to; the object of a reference
2. the first term in a proposition; the term to which other terms relate
3. something that refers; a term that refers to another term
Familiarity information: REFERENT used as a noun is uncommon.
• REFERENT (adjective)
The adjective REFERENT has 1 sense:
1. having reference
Familiarity information: REFERENT used as an adjective is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
• REFERENT (noun)
Meaning:
Something referred to; the object of a reference
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("referent" is a kind of...):
import; meaning; significance; signification (the message that is intended or expressed or signified)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "referent"):
antecedent (the referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun)
denotatum (an actual object referred to by a linguistic expression)
designatum (something (whether existing or not) that is referred to by a linguistic expression)
Meaning:
The first term in a proposition; the term to which other terms relate
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("referent" is a kind of...):
term (one of the substantive phrases in a logical proposition)
Meaning:
Something that refers; a term that refers to another term
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("referent" is a kind of...):
term (a word or expression used for some particular thing)
• REFERENT (adjective)
Meaning:
Having reference
Context example:
judgments referent to the indictment
Similar:
denotative; denotive (having the power of explicitly denoting or designating or naming)
