as in theoretical
dealing with or expressing a quality or idea
conceptual thinking is often the most demanding kind of mental activity
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Recent Examples of conceptual
There’s a reason math looks different today, and the changes are designed to help promote more conceptual thinking, build problem-solving skills, and understand the why behind the numbers.
—
Alex Vance, Parents, 23 May 2026
This extends not only to their immediate objectives — finding safety, love and liberation — but to the more conceptual notions of their long-standing existence in Hindu societies, where they’re shouldered with a spiritual importance than can swiftly be stripped away.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 May 2026
The study’s scope includes an optional component — triggered only if the initial assessment warrants it — that would produce a conceptual design and site plan for a potential eastern substation, including cost estimates.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
Progress may require creative conceptual innovation.
—Quanta Magazine, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for conceptual
Alex Vance, Parents, 23 May 2026
This extends not only to their immediate objectives — finding safety, love and liberation — but to the more conceptual notions of their long-standing existence in Hindu societies, where they’re shouldered with a spiritual importance than can swiftly be stripped away.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 May 2026
The study’s scope includes an optional component — triggered only if the initial assessment warrants it — that would produce a conceptual design and site plan for a potential eastern substation, including cost estimates.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
Progress may require creative conceptual innovation.
—Quanta Magazine, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for conceptual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conceptual
Adjective
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So the question is no longer theoretical.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
Their measurements closely matched theoretical predictions and simulations, validating the core physics behind the approach.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 May 2026
Adjective
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Andrews has continued to work on TV, including Sinbad, as Jafar on Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, and on the Wachowskis’ metaphysical epic Sense8.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 May 2026
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Huxley’s critique is clear; America mistakes body for spirit, promiscuously confusing the physical with the metaphysical.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Adjective
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The experimental drug cut the risk of tumor progression by 65% in a study of lung cancer conducted in China, according to an abstract released ahead of the meeting.—
Angelica Peebles,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
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But Yi has ruminated on these interconnections for more than two decades, making visible (and, sometimes, odorous) the systems around us that are microscopic, impermanent, or technologically abstract, often questioning our discomfort with them.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conceptual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conceptual. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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