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
But the sight of a Jew excelling in sports is even more than a bit of representational inspiration.
—
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
When attention is this constrained, dedicating visual bandwidth to representational cues necessarily displaces something else.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 7 Feb. 2026
As that might lead you to expect, there’s not much to be wildly enthused about here, past the representational plane.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
When attention is this constrained, dedicating visual bandwidth to representational cues necessarily displaces something else.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 7 Feb. 2026
As that might lead you to expect, there’s not much to be wildly enthused about here, past the representational plane.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for representational
Adjective
-
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, a largely symbolic move as the country hasn’t executed anyone in decades.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The symbolic unity pose was to declare the formal launch of the New Delhi Frontier AI Commitments, a set of voluntary principles adopted by leading AI companies at the summit to advance inclusive, responsible development of frontier AI models.—
Aditya Soni,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Take a representative poster from 1938.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Schools have to administer a standardized test that compares a student’s performance with a representative national sample, such as the Iowa Assessments or ACT.—
Jessica Ma,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Representational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/representational. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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