as in symbolic
having the function or meaning of an object or figure that stands for something else
a computer program with representational icons for different functions
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Recent Examples of representational
Measurements of representational similarity invariably involve a host of experimental choices that can affect the outcome.
—
Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 7 Jan. 2026
Today, this kind of progress is most often depicted by representational politics, the idea that the representation of a minority group or of women in positions of power and privilege are indicators of progress.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
The walls are festooned with vivid red crosses that sit alongside later, middle-Byzantine frescoes of mesmerizing representational and technical skill.
—Katie Kitamura, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2025
The effect is to infuse the story with an undeniable and knowing nostalgia; how quaint, at Alma’s party, to find everyone debating matters of representational consequence.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
These models encode representational maps.
—Eric Markowitz, Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
In bird and wildlife art more broadly, there will always be a place for the strictly representational, for realism, but any medium or genre refusing to evolve dies.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
But democratic socialism also suffers from a deeper representational problem.
—Jerel Ezell, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 7 Jan. 2026
Today, this kind of progress is most often depicted by representational politics, the idea that the representation of a minority group or of women in positions of power and privilege are indicators of progress.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
The walls are festooned with vivid red crosses that sit alongside later, middle-Byzantine frescoes of mesmerizing representational and technical skill.
—Katie Kitamura, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2025
The effect is to infuse the story with an undeniable and knowing nostalgia; how quaint, at Alma’s party, to find everyone debating matters of representational consequence.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
These models encode representational maps.
—Eric Markowitz, Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
In bird and wildlife art more broadly, there will always be a place for the strictly representational, for realism, but any medium or genre refusing to evolve dies.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
But democratic socialism also suffers from a deeper representational problem.
—Jerel Ezell, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for representational
Adjective
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Israel also killed senior Iranian commanders and struck symbolic regime targets.—
Karl Vick,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
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But the gesture may be more symbolic than practical, since the ordinance could be difficult to enforce if passed, according to the county’s attorney.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The moment no longer could be avoided once Matthew Mandell, 65, the executive director of the Westport-Wilton Chamber of Commerce and a member of Westport’s representative town meeting, registered as a candidate for the seat.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
9 Jan. 2026
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Stand looking out from the wide intersection of East Mariposa Street and Lake Avenue for one potent, representative view of Altadena a year after the catastrophic Eaton fire.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Representational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/representational. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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