symbolic
adjective
sym·bol·ic
sim-ˈbä-lik 
variants
or less commonly symbolical
2
: of, relating to, or constituting a symbol
3
: characterized by or terminating in symbols
symbolic thinking
4
: characterized by symbolism
a symbolic dance
Examples of symbolic in a Sentence
The lighting of the candles is symbolic.
The sharing of the wine has symbolic meaning.
Recent Examples on the Web
On a broader avenue, people stood on the sidewalks, cheering and mourning and taking pictures with their smartphones—thousands of real-time, utterly personal interpretations of the Pope’s final symbolic journey.
—
Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2025
Yet given everything creators Sera Gamble and Greg Berlanti have communicated about Joe over the show’s five seasons, castration doesn’t quite feel satisfying as a proportional symbolic response to Joe’s tenure of terror.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
The half-day session at the SEC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., is a notable event for Atkins, and comes just weeks after the SEC formally dropped its long-running lawsuit against Ripple, a symbolic end to a four-year battle between the regulator and the crypto industry.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
Another blockbuster stone had important symbolic weight.
—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
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Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2025
Yet given everything creators Sera Gamble and Greg Berlanti have communicated about Joe over the show’s five seasons, castration doesn’t quite feel satisfying as a proportional symbolic response to Joe’s tenure of terror.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
The half-day session at the SEC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., is a notable event for Atkins, and comes just weeks after the SEC formally dropped its long-running lawsuit against Ripple, a symbolic end to a four-year battle between the regulator and the crypto industry.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
Another blockbuster stone had important symbolic weight.
—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
Cite this Entry
“Symbolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symbolic. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
symbolic
adjective
sym·bol·ic
sim-ˈbäl-ik
variants
also symbolical
1
: of, relating to, or using symbols or symbolism
a symbolic meaning
symbolic art
2
: having the function or meaning of a symbol
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