especially: the thing that a symbol (such as a word or sign) stands for
referentadjective
Examples of referent in a Sentence
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On a metal album, even the ugliest sounds tend to have some earthly referent.—
Brad Sanders,
Pitchfork,
8 June 2026 There’s the referent; that’s the raccoon.—
Kory Stamper,
Longreads,
19 Mar. 2026 The potential metaphoric referents here quickly become clear, and are likely to vary by the viewer.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026 Mimetic verisimilitude was never grounded in a simple correspondence with a referent, but in a preoccupation with the concepts of likelihood and plausibility, raising questions about how representations operate discursively.—
Patrick R. Crowley,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for referent
Word History
Etymology
Latin referent-, referens, present participle of referre