referential

American  

[ref-uh-ren-shuhl] / ˌrɛf əˈrɛn ʃəl /

adjective

1. having reference.

   referential to something.

2. containing a reference.

3. used for reference.

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Other Word Forms

• referentially adverb

Etymology

Origin of referential

First recorded in 1650–60; referent + -ial

Explanation

Anything that alludes or refers to something else is referential. Many hip-hop songs are referential, using samples of other songs, mentioning them, or quoting them. Your experimental poetry is referential, if it points directly or more subtly to sources and influences like Shakespeare and Britney Spears and Dr. Seuss. An architect might describe her modern designs as referential too, if they allude to older building styles, using Gothic arches and flat, Art Deco roofs. In general, the adjective referential is a fancy way to talk about the references, mentions, and allusions someone (usually an artist) makes to other things.

Example Sentences

I didn’t want to make an erudite cinematic movie or a referential movie.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 19, 2025

The film is so visually dense, so rapidly wordy, so referential to its own form, that details fly by in a blur.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2025

The researchers are now curious to know if this ability to understand referential language is specific to dogs or might be present in other mammals as well.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2024

This entertaining conflict-ridden media logic promotes evocative reaction rather than referential and reflective communication.

From Salon • Sep. 5, 2023

Words about images The written, as we know, almost constantly appeared together with other referential systems, especially images.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai