Wiktionary:Semantic relations

There are several different kinds of semantic relations and at least the following ones are relevant to Wiktionary. Terms that are semantically related to a given term can be included both at the term’s page and at a Thesaurus page.

Synonymy

 * Definition: Each listed synonym denotes the same as this entry.
 * The equivalence may be less than perfect but should pass the practical test that "often when people say X they are referring to a thing that term Y also often refers to"; this may exclude some plesionyms, but this test allows for some variability in what "not everyone considers to be wholly differentiated."
 * Properties: symmetric and reflexive
 * Section:

Synonymy is a symmetric and reflexive relation.

Examples

 * pretty and attractive are synonyms
 * sick and ill are synonyms
 * pocketable and pocket-sized are synonyms even though some edge cases may exist in which they are differentiable; synonym in a work such as Wiktionary does not imply solely
 * produces
 * produces, useful for disambiguating between synonyms for a partial sense.

Usage
There is also another method to show synonyms, under each definition sense; see it at.

Antonymy

 * Definition: Each listed antonym denotes the opposite of this entry.
 * Properties: symmetric
 * Section:
 * Template:, as an alternative to listing synonyms in a separate section.

Antonymy is a symmetric relation.

Examples

 * up and down are antonyms
 * dead and alive are antonyms
 * parent and child are antonyms

Hypernymy

 * Definition: Each listed hypernym is superordinate to this entry. This entry’s referent is (one of) the kind(s) of things each hypernym refers to.
 * Properties:
 * Section:

Hypernymy is a relation.

Examples

 * animal is a hypernym of mammal (mammals are animals); mammal is a hypernym of dog (dogs are mammals)
 * plant is a hypernym of flower which is a hypernym of tulip
 * red is a hypernym of scarlet, vermilion, carmine and crimson

Hyponymy

 * Definition: Each listed hyponym is subordinate to this entry. Each hyponym refers to a specific kind of the thing described by this entry.
 * Properties:
 * Section:

Hyponymy is a relation.

Examples

 * dog is a hyponym of mammal (dogs are among the various animals which are mammals); mammal is a hyponym of animal
 * tulip is a hyponym of flower which is a hyponym of plant
 * scarlet, vermilion, carmine and crimson are hyponyms of red

Meronymy

 * Definition: Each listed meronym denotes part of this entry’s referent.
 * Properties:
 * Section:

Meronymy is a relation.

Examples

 * bark is a meronym of tree (bark is part of what makes up a tree); tree is a meronym of forest
 * elbow is a meronym of arm which is a meronym of body

Holonymy

 * Definition: Each listed holonym has this entry’s referent as a part of itself; this entry’s referent is part of each listed holonym.
 * Properties:
 * Section:

Holonymy is a relation.

Examples

 * forest is a holonym of tree (forests contain trees); tree is a holonym of bark
 * body is a holonym of arm which is a holonym of elbow

Troponymy

 * Definition: Each listed troponym denotes a particular way to do this entry’s referent.
 * Properties:
 * Section:

Troponymy is a relation.

Examples

 * to trim and to slice are troponyms of to cut
 * to slide and to spin are troponyms of to move
 * to snack and to nibble are troponyms of to eat

Coordinate term

 * Definition: Each listed coordinate term shares a hypernym with this entry.
 * Properties: symmetric and reflexive
 * Section:
 * Template:, as an alternative to listing coordinate terms in a separate section.

Most coordinate terms should not be added to this section. They should be added to categories instead. Only words that don’t belong in any other sections and are strongly related should be here.

Examples

 * man and woman are coordinate terms since they share various hypernyms, from the most obvious (for example, human, person, adult) to others (for example, vertebrate, mammal, resident)
 * Frenchman and Englishman are coordinate terms since they share various hypernyms, from the most obvious (for example, human, nationality, person) to others (for example, vertebrate, mammal, resident)
 * cat and dog are coordinate terms since they share several hypernyms, including pet, animal, mammal, and vertebrate

Usage

 * or

Otherwise related

 * Definition: Each listed “otherwise related” term semantically relates to this entry.
 * Section:

If the semantic relation is none of the above (such as, for example, plesionymic, such that it is partially overlapping on a but with important distinctions), or if you don't know exactly how a word is semantically related to the word defined by the entry you are editing, please add it to this section. However, since almost all words are semantically related to each other on some (sufficiently remote) abstract level, please use your own judgement on whether somebody possibly would find it useful.

A representative example of a pair of words whose semantic relation to each other is clear and is relevant, but they are not synonymous (or synonymous only in the loosest sense of that term), is and : usually the two concepts are coinstantiated, which makes them clearly and relevantly semantically related, but the other instances in which they are not coinstantiated, and their perennial potential not to be coinstantiated, have practical importance, so it is reasonable not to call them synonyms but rather to place them in "see also" position.

Other relevant pages on Wiktionary can also be linked here, such as appendices and categories.

Note: For any links to external sites, including sister projects like Wikipedia, use the section  (see this vote).

Usage
Note that for etymologically related words (in the same language), the header  should be used – see Etymology.