noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The use of a word, such as a pronoun, to refer to something that must be identified from the wider context; a word used in such a way. countable, uncountable

   "Deixis allows for economy of speech but introduces ambiguity when that speech is recorded."

2. 2
   the function of pointing or specifying from the perspective of a participant in an act of speech or writing; aspects of a communication whose interpretation depends on knowledge of the context in which the communication occurs wordnet

Synonyms

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indexicality

Antonyms

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homophora

Example

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"Deixis allows for economy of speech but introduces ambiguity when that speech is recorded."

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δεῖξις (deîxis, “pointing, indicating, reference”), from δείκνυμι (deíknumi, “I show”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.