totemic

adjective

to·​tem·​ic tō-ˈte-mik How to pronounce totemic (audio)
1
: of, relating to, suggestive of, or characteristic of a totem or totemism
a totemic animal
2
: based on or practicing totemism
totemic clan structure

Examples of totemic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That policy would have raised the retirement age from 62 to 64, and its removal was a totemic demand from the left. Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025 While Essential keeps the almost totemic $9.99-per-month pricing of Core, Premium jumps to $14.99 from Standard’s $11.99 (a 25 percent increase), and the PC-only offering goes from $11.99 to $16.49 (a 38 percent increase). Matt Kamen, Wired News, 12 Oct. 2025 In certain ideological precincts, Mamdani’s name has become totemic—shorthand for everything wrong with New York, which itself is shorthand for everything wrong with America. Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025 But the undoing of the totemic reform of Macron’s mandates would be highly symbolic. Charlotte Reed, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for totemic

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of totemic was in 1846

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Cite this Entry

“Totemic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/totemic. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

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