This article presents a comparative functional analysis of the pragmatic-communicative functions of hyponymic-hyperonymic relations in English and Uzbek newspaper headlines. The core problem lies in the fact that the communicative motivation behind selecting a hyponym or hyperonym – such as information compression, event specification, relevance optimization, or stylistic impact – has not been studied comparatively across these two unrelated languages. The objective is to identify the communicative roles of hyponym-hyperonym choices and reveal their linguacultural and typological foundations. The methodology integrates component, functional-pragmatic, and comparative-typological analysis. The study materials comprise eleven real headlines selected from English (Euronews, NBC News, PBS/AP) and Uzbek (Kun.uz, Spot.uz, “Xalq soʻzi”) media outlets. The results indicate that hyperonyms primarily serve information compression and relevance optimization in both languages. However, in Uzbek, hyperonyms additionally carry stylistic-expressive functions, reflected in the active use of multi-level hyponymic chains. Conversely, English headlines favor compact zero-or single-level models. In conclusion, the degree of multi-level layering in hyponymic chains emerges as a key functional-typological parameter distinguishing the two languages. The findings offer practical value for journalism education, translation studies, and foreign language teaching.