O sentido desta palavra está claro.

A word-by-word breakdown:

• O = the
• sentido = sense, meaning, or meaning/intended sense
• desta = of this
  
  • this is a contraction of de + esta
• palavra = word
• está = is
• claro = clear

So the structure is basically:

• O sentido = the meaning
• desta palavra = of this word
• está claro = is clear

A very literal English version would be The meaning of this word is clear.

In Portuguese, definite articles like o, a, os, as are used very naturally and often more frequently than in English.

Here, o sentido means the meaning. Portuguese normally needs the article in this kind of sentence.

So:

• O sentido desta palavra = the meaning of this word

Leaving out o would sound unnatural here.

Desta is a contraction:

• de = of
• esta = this (feminine singular)

So:

• de esta → desta

This contraction is required in normal Portuguese.

Other similar contractions:

• de + este = deste
• de + essa = dessa
• de + aquele = daquele

So desta palavra literally means of this word.

Because palavra is a feminine noun.

In Portuguese, demonstratives must agree with the noun they refer to:

• este / esta
• deste / desta

Since palavra is feminine singular, you need:

• esta palavra
• desta palavra

If the noun were masculine, you would use este or deste:

• deste livro = of this book

This is a very common question because both can mean is.

Here, está claro means is clear in the sense of a current state or condition.

Portuguese often uses:

• ser for identity, definition, permanent characteristics
• estar for states, conditions, how something appears at the moment

So:

• Está claro = It is clear
• Está confuso = It is confusing / unclear
• Está certo = It is right / correct

In many real sentences, estar + adjective is the normal choice for things like clear, obvious, ready, open, closed, etc.

Because claro agrees with sentido, not with palavra.

The subject of the sentence is:

• O sentido desta palavra

The main noun there is sentido, which is masculine singular.

So the adjective must also be masculine singular:

• O sentido ... está claro

Compare:

• A palavra está clara = The word is clear
• O sentido da palavra está claro = The meaning of the word is clear

In the original sentence, clear describes the meaning, not the word itself.

No. Sentido has several meanings, depending on context.

Common ones include:

• meaning / sense
• direction
• feeling / sense
• way in some expressions

Examples:

• Qual é o sentido desta frase? = What is the meaning of this sentence?
• sentido norte-sul = north-south direction
• sentido único = one-way

In your sentence, sentido means meaning or sense.

Yes. That is very natural too.

• significado = meaning
• sentido = sense / meaning

In many contexts, they are close in meaning. But there can be a slight nuance:

• significado often refers more directly to the dictionary meaning
• sentido can suggest the sense, interpretation, or intended meaning in context

So both are possible, but sentido can sound a little more about sense/interpretation, while significado can sound a little more lexical or literal.

This is about the difference between this and that in Portuguese.

In traditional grammar:

• esta / desta = this (closer to the speaker)
• essa / dessa = that (closer to the listener, or previously mentioned)

In real Brazilian Portuguese, people very often use esse/essa forms where traditional grammar might expect este/esta. So in conversation, dessa palavra is also very common depending on context.

Very roughly:

• desta palavra = of this word
• dessa palavra = of that word / sometimes also of this word in everyday Brazilian usage

So the sentence with desta is correct and a bit more formal or careful in the traditional distinction.

Yes, it is natural and correct.

It sounds a bit neutral or written, which is perfectly fine. In everyday speech, a Brazilian might also say things like:

• O significado dessa palavra está claro.
• O sentido dessa palavra ficou claro.
• Está claro o sentido dessa palavra.

All of these are possible, depending on context and style.

Your original sentence is a good standard sentence.

Yes, but the original order is the most straightforward and neutral.

Standard order:

• O sentido desta palavra está claro.

A possible variation:

• Está claro o sentido desta palavra.

This still means the same thing, but it sounds a bit more stylistic or emphasis-driven, as if you are focusing first on it is clear.

For learners, the original version is the easiest and most standard pattern.

The accent mark in está shows that the stress falls on the last syllable:

• es-TÁ

The acute accent also helps distinguish it in writing from esta.

Compare:

• esta = this (feminine)
• está = is from estar

So the accent is important both for pronunciation and for meaning.

Not always. In natural speech, some sounds may get reduced or linked together.

For example:

• desta palavra
• está claro

may sound more connected and less carefully separated than in slow textbook speech.

But the written grammar stays the same, and the sentence is completely standard. As a learner, it is best to first recognize the clear written form, then get used to faster spoken Brazilian pronunciation over time.