Pedantic vs. Semantic — What's the Difference?

Excessively concerned with minor details or rules; overscrupulous

Of or relating to meaning, especially meaning in language.

Characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for academic knowledge and formal rules

Of, relating to, or according to the science of semantics.

Being overly concerned with formal rules and trivial points of learning, like a pedant.

Of or relating to semantics or the meanings of words.

Being showy of one’s knowledge, often in a boring manner.

Reflecting intended structure and meaning.

Of or pertaining to a pedant; characteristic of, or resembling, a pedant; ostentatious of learning; as, a pedantic writer; a pedantic description; a pedantical affectation.

Petty or trivial; (of a person or statement) quibbling, niggling.

Marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects

(linguistics) In such writing systems as the Chinese writing system, the portion of a phono-semantic character that provides an indication of its meaning; contrasted with phonetic.

Pertaining to the meanings of words.

Of or pertaining to semantics.

Of or relating to the study of meaning and changes of meaning;