Reference · Glossary
Similarity search
Finding items whose **meaning** is close to a query — usually by comparing embedding vectors with distance or cosine similarity.
#When to use
"Find docs like this question," duplicate detection, recommendation, RAG retrieval.
#When not to
Exact keyword match (SKU codes, IDs) — use normal search or hybrid search instead.
#Example
Query: "refund policy for annual plans" retrieves a paragraph about subscription cancellations even if the word "refund" never appears.