What is Semantic Search?
Semantic search is a search approach that understands the meaning and context of a query, returning results based on conceptual relevance rather than exact keyword matches.Semantic vs. Keyword Search
| Aspect | Keyword Search | Semantic Search ||--------|---------------|----------------|
| Matching | Exact words | Meaning & intent |
| "Reset password" | Only matches "reset" + "password" | Also matches "forgot login", "can't sign in" |
| Typo handling | Poor | Good |
| Synonym support | Manual configuration | Automatic |
How It Works
1.Query embedding — Convert the search query into a vector
2.Similarity matching — Compare against pre-computed document vectors
3.Ranking — Return results ordered by semantic similarity
4.Filtering — Apply metadata filters (date, category, etc.)