What does syntactical mean?
Syntactical means relating to syntax, the branch of grammar concerned with how words and phrases are arranged to form grammatical sentences. A syntactical issue may involve word order, agreement, clause structure, punctuation patterns, or the relationship between parts of a sentence. The term is especially useful when discussing language formally, although the shorter adjective syntactic is far more common in everyday English. It can also describe language that follows accepted grammatical rules, as in a syntactically correct sentence. Although many people associate grammar primarily with meaning, syntactical analysis distinguishes the structure of an expression from its meaning: two sentences can convey similar ideas while organizing their components differently. The word is therefore valuable in discussions of writing, translation, linguistics, and language assessment, where precise attention to grammatical arrangement matters.
Of or relating to syntax; concerning the arrangement of words and phrases in sentences.
"The report contains a detailed syntactical analysis of the original text."
The shorter form syntactic is more common in modern English.
Conforming to the rules or conventions of syntax.
"The translator produced a natural but fully syntactical rendering of the passage."
This use is less frequent than the relational meaning and is most often found in formal linguistic discussion.
Syntactical questions ask not only what a sentence means, but how its words are put together.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does syntactical come from?
The word ultimately comes through Latin syntax from Greek syntaxis, meaning “arrangement” or “construction.” Greek syntaxis combines syn, meaning “together,” with taxis, meaning “arrangement” or “ordering.” The English adjective syntactic and its longer form syntactical were developed from this vocabulary of syntactic arrangement.
Related word forms
How syntactical is actually used
This word is used in formal grammar and linguistics and is less common than the shorter, more usual adjective syntactic. It should not be confused with semantic, which concerns meaning rather than grammatical structure.
Easily confused with syntactical
Both terms relate to syntax, but syntactic is the standard and more common adjective; syntactical is a less frequent, fully formed alternative.