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
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
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
The United States, of course, cannot share everything—physical or ideational—with its partners.
—Thomas G. Mahnken, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2024
This ideational convergence, deepened by two decades of accumulating trust between India and the United States, has enhanced the strategic partnership and set the stage for even closer cooperation in the future.
—Ashley J. Tellis, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2020
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
Einstein’s theories as ideational relativism.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 3 May 2021
And the Trump Administration is taking concrete steps to encourage this ideational fusion.
—Time, 13 Dec. 2019
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
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
The United States, of course, cannot share everything—physical or ideational—with its partners.
—Thomas G. Mahnken, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2024
This ideational convergence, deepened by two decades of accumulating trust between India and the United States, has enhanced the strategic partnership and set the stage for even closer cooperation in the future.
—Ashley J. Tellis, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2020
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
Einstein’s theories as ideational relativism.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 3 May 2021
And the Trump Administration is taking concrete steps to encourage this ideational fusion.
—Time, 13 Dec. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ideational
Adjective
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The Athletic's Jim Bowden recently outlined a theoretical deal in which the Cardinals would trade Helsley, Arenado, and cash to the Detroit Tigers to land superstar prospect Kevin McGonigle.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
-
These frameworks are not theoretical, as they are based on real-world leadership challenges and offer actionable tools leaders can apply immediately.—
Tony Gambill,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
And that was the metaphysical American transformation of news into entertainment.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
13 June 2025
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The Foundation Of Strategic Thinking The Vedas scriptures do not only dwell on metaphysical concepts but also emphasize the principles of truth, cosmic order and sacrifice for the collective good.—
Pankaj Vasani,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
Serra is essentially a formalist in drama, by his choices of subject, which are matched by his conceptual approach to visual compositions.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
24 June 2025
-
And the vibes were somewhere between downtown book launch and conceptual prank, as On the Rag — L.A.’s buzzy new literary tabloid — celebrated its arrival at Night Gallery with a cigarette-clouded bash full of poetry, prose and potting soil.—
Benjamin Svetkey,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
What High-Tact Leadership Looks Like Tact isn’t abstract.—
Justin Patton,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
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Advertisement Read More: Losing NOAA’s Natural Disaster Data Will Make Storms More Devastating for the Poor While these cuts may seem abstract or bureaucratic, their impact is personal.—
Kathy Baughman McLeod,
Time,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
This definition also includes instance in which the victim is incapable of giving consent because of temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity (include due to the influence of drugs or alcohol) or because of age.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Apr. 2025
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Without supervision or regulation, kids can easily stumble upon explicit material, including violent and extremist content, that can lead to mental distress, desensitization and a warped perception of the world around them.—
Richard Wistocki,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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On the pages of National Review and, after 1966, on Firing Line, Buckley pioneered the do-your-own-research rhetorical style: whataboutism and verbal misdirections that often slipped into intellectual nihilism.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
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Her wide-ranging symphony of essays on Black womanhood is a treat—incisive, intellectual, intimate, funny, and formally inventive.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ideational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ideational. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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