Semantic Search

What it is

Semantic search finds content based on meaning rather than exact keyword matches. It uses embeddings to understand that "automobile" and "car" are related, or that a question about "debugging Python code" relates to "fixing errors in Python scripts." Results are ranked by conceptual similarity.

Why it matters

Semantic search dramatically improves information retrieval. Users don't need to guess exact keywords. RAG systems depend on semantic search to find relevant context. If you've ever been frustrated by keyword search missing obvious matches, semantic search solves that problem.