This article examines the complex nature of semantics in modern linguistics. Unlike syntax, morphology, and phonology, semantics still faces epistemological obstacles that hinder the formalization of meaning. These challenges arise, on one hand, from the intricate overlap of meaning with other linguistic levels, making it impossible to study in isolation. On the other hand, meaning remains the most abstract and mutable linguistic phenomenon. Consequently, despite historical and modern recognition of semantics as an independent discipline, linguistic research has yet to build a formal model that adequately explains how meaning functions within the language system. Accordingly, this paper explores the intricate relationships between semantics and other linguistic structures, highlighting how current theories fail to approach meaning holistically. This raises a central question: Can an explanatory model for meaning be constructed? Is formalization truly necessary to validate semantics as a science, or is a synthesis of divergent theories more appropriate? To address these questions, we adopt a critical-analytical approach to trace semantic studies across the Arabic linguistic heritage and diagnose contemporary epistemological hurdles. Ultimately, we argue that theoretical divergence is intrinsic to scientific inquiry, and grasping this variation serves as an alternative to achieving absolute explanatory adequacy. Science’s progress is inseparable from recognizing human cognitive limits. Thus, understanding theoretical differences- which are rooted in the very nature of meaning- is fundamentally a scientific necessity.