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
Duchamp’s bicycle wheel, however, differed significantly from Picasso’s spoon, as the latter served a representational role.
—
Howard Halle, ARTnews.com, 10 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
That paper, like much of the early work on representational similarity, focused only on computer vision, which was then the most popular branch of AI research.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 7 Jan. 2026
Howard Halle, ARTnews.com, 10 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
That paper, like much of the early work on representational similarity, focused only on computer vision, which was then the most popular branch of AI research.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for representational
Adjective
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Part of the pressure stems from the symbolic weight placed on wedding imagery.—
Sara Radin,
Vogue,
9 Apr. 2026
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The Israel Defense Forces continued its invasion of southern Lebanon, with a fierce battle raging in the highly symbolic town of Bint Jbeil.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The Giants became the first National League team to seven losses, and although 10 games is not a representative sample, there’s never a good time in a season for a team’s most reliable veterans to play sloppily or make decisions on tilt.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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But the opposition has lacked an organization and representative leaders.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Representational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/representational. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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