semantics
n. uncountablen. the meaning of words and phrases. If someone says an argument is 'just semantics', they mean people are fighting over word choices instead of the real issue.
n. the branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning. In everyday discourse, it frequently refers to the specific interpretation of a word or phrase, often to dismiss a disagreement as a trivial dispute over terminology.
We are just arguing over semantics at this point.
The two politicians actually agreed on the new policy, but they spent hours arguing over the semantics of the press release.
While formal semantics explores the logical structures of language, everyday disputes often dismiss careful phrasing as mere semantics, ignoring how word choice shapes public perception.
From French sémantique, displacing earlier semasiology. From Ancient Greek σημαντικός (sēmantikós). By surface analysis, semantic + -ics.
Takes a singular verb despite the plural form; frequently appears in the phrase 'arguing over semantics'.