| Noun | 1. | semantic role - (linguistics) the underlying relation that a constituent has with the main verb in a clause linguistics - the scientific study of language grammatical category, syntactic category - (grammar) a category of words having the same grammatical properties affected role, patient role, patient - the semantic role of an entity that is not the agent but is directly involved in or affected by the happening denoted by the verb in the clause agentive role, agent - the semantic role of the animate entity that instigates or causes the happening denoted by the verb in the clause benefactive role, beneficiary - the semantic role of the intended recipient who benefits from the happening denoted by the verb in the clause instrumental role, instrument - the semantic role of the entity (usually inanimate) that the agent uses to perform an action or start a process locative, locative role - the semantic role of the noun phrase that designates the place of the state or action denoted by the verb recipient role, recipient - the semantic role of the animate entity that is passively involved in the happening denoted by the verb in the clause resultant role, result - the semantic role of the noun phrase whose referent exists only by virtue of the activity denoted by the verb in the clause temporal, temporal role - the semantic role of the noun phrase that designates the time of the state or action denoted by the verb |