Phrase guide

use-mention distinction

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The distinction between the use of a word for its meaning (as in cheese is derived from milk) and the mention of a word as a lexical unit (as in cheese is derived from a word in Old English); an instance of this distinction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: words-as-words distinction

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.