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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With all of the film’s complicated theoretical physics and flowery musings about the power of love and time, going melodramatic could push the film into eyeroll territory.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
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The emergence of synthetic performers such as Tilly Norwood reflects how quickly those questions have moved from theoretical to practical.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Glenn Turner, the former owner of a pagan and metaphysical shop, is running as a member of the Green Party.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
Matarrese delves into the history underlying these two women’s longstanding feud and arrives at a tragicomic, inventive meditation on the metaphysical possibility of reconciliation and forgiveness.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In a world where young athletes can earn significant compensation through NIL and revenue share, the NCAA faced conceptual hurdles trying to defend prize money rules.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
4 May 2026
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In this conceptual system, there is also an equivalence between the duties of various tribes—defense, sustenance, healing—and the overall balance of nature, in which each animal plays its part.—
Glenn Adamson,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
Adjective
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His prose is equally forbidding—dense and abstract, in the long tradition of German philosophy.—
Adam Kirsch,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
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The consequences are not abstract.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
Adjective
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With a commitment to clinical excellence and individualized treatment, Diamond Recovery Group helps thousands of individuals each year achieve lasting recovery and improved mental well being.—
Ascend Agency,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
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That committee is also set to hear House Bill 1195, which would prevent psychologists, counselors, social workers, therapists and others from using AI to provide direct therapy to clients, to make treatment plans, or to detect emotional or mental states.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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But Lemisch’s comes with an intellectual pedigree forged in the history wars of the ’60s and ’70s.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
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The games holds that exact intellectual tension at its core.—
Clara Molot,
Vanity Fair,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ideational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ideational. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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