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Recent Examples of gestural
The fundamental trouble with such franchise films is that the construction of character is usually no more than gestural: with all the emphasis on extravagant spectacle and on backstories in the franchise universe, there’s rarely any room for personality, experience, or knowledge.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
There’s a speaker, and a physical button, which could potentially be used to take photos or as a gestural shortcut to other commands — like waking the virtual assistant.
—Andrew Williams, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Backdrop redrew the original horses, creating an abstract, watercolour layered effect that infused depth and a narrative arc to the gestural horse drawings.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
But for all their startling power and sweat, the heavily gestural choreography is presentational rather than dramatic.
—David Benedict, Variety, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for gestural
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
There’s a speaker, and a physical button, which could potentially be used to take photos or as a gestural shortcut to other commands — like waking the virtual assistant.
—Andrew Williams, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Backdrop redrew the original horses, creating an abstract, watercolour layered effect that infused depth and a narrative arc to the gestural horse drawings.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
But for all their startling power and sweat, the heavily gestural choreography is presentational rather than dramatic.
—David Benedict, Variety, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for gestural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gestural
Adjective
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In the nineteen-seventies, Franciscan University, a small school on a hill above the downtown, became a center for charismatic Catholicism, an expressive, theologically orthodox movement that paralleled the development of the evangelical Jesus People and secular hippie culture.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
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Growing up surrounded by fashion and music also shaped their understanding of beauty as something expressive and, at times, theatrical.—
Brittany Talarico,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Clarke excelled laying his body on the line to thwart shot attempts and foil odd-man rushes while remaining the Kings’ most mobile defender and their best rearguard by far with the puck.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Slavin hopes to set up a mobile studio in his van and further distribute his surf photography.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Inside, the seating has personal storage and moveable partitions for more seclusion or more socialization onboard as well as moody lighting.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
13 Apr. 2026
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Witnesses said the man, who is believed to be an aircraft engineer, fell about 12 feet from a Jet2 plane after the movable rear stairs of the plane had been removed, per the Manchester Evening News.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Violators could be ticketed similar to a non-moving violation for a driver.—
Jim Turner,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2026
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Each wrong turn is bittersweet, making the eventual reunion even more moving and meaningful.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Upstairs at Sperm Racing HQ is a lab stocked with racks of test tubes, centrifuges for separating out the most motile sperm from a sample, and little plastic slides containing new microscopic racecourses for frat-boy cum.—
Sam Kriss,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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Semen quality was determined by measuring semen volume, sperm shape and concentration, and the proportion of sperm that were motile (capable of moving or swimming properly).—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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When Vanderbilt became demonstrative, Austin Reaves — who didn't play due to injury — stepped between his teammate and the head coach, along with assistant coach Nate McMillan.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Lanier leaned on his down-home Texas folksiness throughout the trial, telling the jury what was on his heart and scribbling with grease pencil on his demonstrative aids.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gestural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gestural. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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