variants
also symbolical
as in representational
having the function or meaning of an object or figure that stands for something else
the butterfly in the poem is symbolic of the impermanence of youth
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of symbolic
Shareholders voted last year to re-ratify the prior package, part of a symbolic effort to bolster Musk’s legal case.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
For Newcastle to be able to sign Isak from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2022 felt symbolic of their rise in status and spending power under their new ownership.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Yet the recognition was shallow, symbolic, and misleading.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
But Republican leaders are hoping that document release and a vote on an alternative symbolic measure will head off Massie’s efforts to get his bill to the House floor.
—Emily Goodin, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
For Newcastle to be able to sign Isak from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2022 felt symbolic of their rise in status and spending power under their new ownership.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Yet the recognition was shallow, symbolic, and misleading.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
But Republican leaders are hoping that document release and a vote on an alternative symbolic measure will head off Massie’s efforts to get his bill to the House floor.
—Emily Goodin, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for symbolic
Adjective
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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
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But democratic socialism also suffers from a deeper representational problem.—
Jerel Ezell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The two issues, which are aimed at representative and direct democracy, set up what could be the most consequential special session in recent history, potentially altering the trajectory of Missouri for years.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
4 Sep. 2025
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The studies included both nationally representative samples and more demographically homogenous groups, such as college students from an elite university.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Symbolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/symbolic. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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