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
Constructivists’ major argument is that world politics is as much ideational as material and that relations among states depend on norms as much as on military or economic power.
—
Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 31 Oct. 2025
These ideational shifts, influenced by both global narratives and local aspirations, are increasingly shaping how Indians approach relationships.
—Anuradha Gupta, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
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
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
Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 31 Oct. 2025
These ideational shifts, influenced by both global narratives and local aspirations, are increasingly shaping how Indians approach relationships.
—Anuradha Gupta, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ideational
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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More conceptual questions that don’t include a number to optimize can’t easily be studied with AlphaEvolve.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
1 June 2026
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In reality, little was lost in the scuffle over the conceptual work.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
1 June 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
Adjective
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The book does often feel like a recording of a mental jam session, but there is also a sense of being guided by a kind of hesitating yet urgent voice that needs to get things figured out.—
Craig Morgan Teicher,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
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The Eternal Values promise Mierers lured followers in with discussions of enlightenment and mental clarity, often revolving around diet, exercise, celibacy, and the willingness to give up material possessions.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Yet as time and intellectual capacity move forward, Angie begins to act more independently.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
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Build a culture of intellectual accountability in which employees are expected to interrogate AI output rather than relay it.—
Chris Rosenberg,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ideational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ideational. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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