Meanings
nounsemantic shift (countable and uncountable, plural semantic shifts)
plural semantic shifts
- countableuncountablehuman sciencesA change in the meaning of a word over time.
Synonyms: semantic change, semantic drift, semantic progression
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA change in the meaning of a word over time.
Origin
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 語義變化 /语义变化
- 語義變化 /语义变化linguistics
Czech sémantický posun
- sémantický posunlinguistics
Danish semantisk ændring
- semantisk ændringlinguistics
Dutch betekenisverandering, betekenisverschuiving
- betekenisveranderinglinguistics
- betekenisverschuivinglinguistics
Finnish merkityksenmuutos
- merkityksenmuutoslinguistics
French glissement sémantique
- glissement sémantiquelinguistics
German Bedeutungswandel
- Bedeutungswandellinguistics
Greek σημασιολογική μεταβολή
- σημασιολογική μεταβολή (simasiologikí metavolí)linguistics
Italian slittamento di significato, mutamento semantico
- slittamento di significatolinguistics
- mutamento semanticolinguistics
Polish zmiana znaczenia, zmiana znaczeniowa
- zmiana znaczenialinguistics
- zmiana znaczeniowalinguistics
Portuguese mudança semântica
- mudança semânticalinguistics
Russian изменение значения
- изменение значения (izmenenije značenija)linguistics
Spanish cambio léxico-semántico, traslación de significado
- cambio léxico-semánticolinguistics
- traslación de significadolinguistics
Cite this entry
APA
semantic shift. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semantic%20shift
MLA
“semantic shift.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semantic%20shift. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “semantic shift,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semantic%20shift.
Source: semantic shift on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.