nonreferring
Nonreferring is a term used in linguistics and philosophy of language to describe expressions that do not pick out a real object in the actual world. An expression can be nonreferring because no entity satisfies the description, because it refers to a fictional or hypothetical object, or because its referent is otherwise unavailable in the context of evaluation.
In semantics, identifying nonreferring expressions helps account for sentences that seem meaningful but lack a concrete
Nonreferring expressions also arise in literature and everyday speech, where names or descriptions evoke characters or
See also: referent, definite description, proper name, empty name, presupposition.