as in theoretical
dealing with or expressing a quality or idea
ideograms are ideational—they are meant to suggest some general idea and not a particular word or phrase
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Recent Examples of ideational
Constructivists’ major argument is that world politics is as much ideational as material and that relations among states depend on norms as much as on military or economic power.
—
Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 31 Oct. 2025
These ideational shifts, influenced by both global narratives and local aspirations, are increasingly shaping how Indians approach relationships.
—Anuradha Gupta, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
The ideational content of the image — a man killing another man on a public sidewalk — is only half the message.
—F.k. Plous, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
This process, which Doten-Snitker and her coauthors term ideational diffusion, often took many years as people in towns and cities needed time to digest new ideas about witchcraft and turn them into behavior.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2024
Steven Spielberg extends Griffith’s and Ford’s historical insight through an astonishing mix of visual and ideational dialectics.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 June 2023
Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 31 Oct. 2025
These ideational shifts, influenced by both global narratives and local aspirations, are increasingly shaping how Indians approach relationships.
—Anuradha Gupta, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
The ideational content of the image — a man killing another man on a public sidewalk — is only half the message.
—F.k. Plous, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
This process, which Doten-Snitker and her coauthors term ideational diffusion, often took many years as people in towns and cities needed time to digest new ideas about witchcraft and turn them into behavior.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2024
Steven Spielberg extends Griffith’s and Ford’s historical insight through an astonishing mix of visual and ideational dialectics.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ideational
Adjective
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As with every cycle, some schools will benefit more than others from district realignment, but Carter said getting too wrapped up in theoretical scenarios doesn’t serve much purpose.—
Colby Gordon,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
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Originally, this was a great mystery, as cosmic rays were known to be composed almost exclusively of protons, and the theoretical limit on a proton that traveled through intergalactic space should forbid such excessively high energies.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Breaking down such a layered metaphysical concept with the relatively few words left in this review would be a fool’s errand, but suffice it to say that all of the math miraculously checks out.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
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The Jupe bros – Jacobi and big brother Noah (as the stage Hamlet), who are both going places – playing characters that reflect each other in a metaphysical way.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The conceptual genius has found a way to turn Los Angeles into a movie character too!—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
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Dedar Milano’s Abstract Newness Dedar Milano’s 2026 collection of fabrics embraced pure abstraction and fresh conceptual ideas.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Book covers can be literal, abstract, symbolic, atmospheric, and on and on.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
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Renee Good and Alex Pretti remind us that constitutional law is not abstract theory, or a moment in American history.—
Larry Pino,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Does the client have a specific mental disorder?—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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The feeling was unfamiliar, since my usual mental coordinates place me somewhere in the proximate future, a locus of anticipation and, all too often, unfocused worry.—
Michael Pollan,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Tangible cultural heritage consists of physical elements, like monuments, artifacts, and historic sites, while intangible cultural heritage consists of intellectual elements, like customs, traditions, and languages.—
Kristin Houser,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
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In each place, searching for traces of Katharine Blodgett’s intellectual and personal footprint.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ideational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ideational. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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