punctuation

noun

A set of symbols and marks which are used to clarify meaning in text by separating strings of words into clauses, phrases and sentences; examples include commas, hyphens, and stops (periods).

An act of punctuating.

Roots

pungopunct- · Latin · prick, point

Synonyms for punctuation

semicolonn ellipsisn virgulen parenthesesn

Synonyms & related words for punctuation

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of punctuation — including semicolon, ellipsis, virgule, parentheses. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to punctuation

Explore words related to punctuation — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include commas, punctuate, apostrophes, apostrophic, grammatical, grammar, hyphens, diacritic. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for punctuation

Common synonyms for punctuation include semicolon, ellipsis, virgule, parentheses — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does punctuation come from?

The word punctuation breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root punct-, from Latin pungo (“prick, point”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.