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
Adapting their identities, behaviors, and social realities to the representational limits of machines.
—
Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Her own work moves between evocative and representational — but there’s always a thread.
—The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
This means that representational alignment may be a solvable problem and a step toward addressing broader alignment challenges.
—Arryn Robbins, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2026
Included are a variety of abstract, representational, landscapes, seascapes and whimsical pieces, some of which have a specific meaning, McCabe said.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
The piece is entirely presentational, with minimal representational actions taking place between the brothers.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
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
Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Her own work moves between evocative and representational — but there’s always a thread.
—The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
This means that representational alignment may be a solvable problem and a step toward addressing broader alignment challenges.
—Arryn Robbins, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2026
Included are a variety of abstract, representational, landscapes, seascapes and whimsical pieces, some of which have a specific meaning, McCabe said.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
The piece is entirely presentational, with minimal representational actions taking place between the brothers.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for representational
Adjective
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Taken together, those cultural threads help explain why food – and especially meat – carries an outsized symbolic role in Texas politics, where the official state dish, adopted in 1977, is chili, defined by its significant meat base.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
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For inheritors of the banana leaf-wrapping tradition, this practice has both the literal and symbolic capacity to contain that relationship.—
Sophia Rey,
JSTOR Daily,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Conducted between mid-February and early March, the poll anonymously surveyed 21 federal judges, 113 lawyers, 193 law professors, 652 political scientists and a nationally representative sample of 2,750 Americans.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
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But The Label Isn't In the representative scenario, a clinical platform provider is breached.—
Maman Ibrahim,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Representational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/representational. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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