representational

Definition of representationalnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of representational Tyler and Materson work with representational directness in the opposite register from Green. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 7 Nov. 2026 This literally cataclysmic[6] event was preceded by algebraic computations that were never just representational, as might be more the case for geometry, but were from the outset proactive. — Artforum, 28 Sep. 2026 The reflex to regard America’s earlier representational and nationalist traditions as something to be repudiated, rather than reconsidered, is learned — not inevitable. — Frank Porcu, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026 Increasingly, representational politics feels like dusty land that’s been dried up from single-crop farming. — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026 Tellingly, not one of these standout garments is plastered with logos, cheeky text, or some representational figure (festive or otherwise). — Jon Roth, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2026 There are very real representational problems with regard to realism, phones, and internet life’s microwave instructions for rendering the literal ironic and the ironic literal. — M. C. Mah, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026 So what better way to counter decades of representational flattening than with a show whose central characters are young Londoners who share that label but little besides it—and then throw them together in a punk band? — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026 Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the show was celebrated for its representational milestones both in front and behind the camera for the entirety of its three season run. — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for representational
Adjective
  • Securing ‘quick, symbolic victories’ in convoluted conflict Security experts like Diego Da Rin, Haiti analyst for International Crisis Group, have cast doubt on Bukele’s ability to replicate his model to vanquish Haiti’s gangs.
    — Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026
  • This new international body represented change but also continuity, enabling Britain to maintain a global (but mostly symbolic) presence at a time when its real geopolitical power was rapidly in retreat.
    — Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair, 10 Nov. 2026
Adjective
  • Choi Seok-cheol, representative director of the Gimhae Cultural and Tourism Foundation, based in the South Korean city of Gimhae, attended the ceremony as a witness to the signing.
    — Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 9 Nov. 2026
  • This omission leaves citizens less able to evaluate democratic systems as fair or representative and more vulnerable to misinformation and disenfranchisement.
    — Ismar Volić, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Representational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/representational. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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