variants
also symbolical
as in representative
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of symbolic
And in the intimate pictures taken by Sinna Nasseri from Election Day, Duwaji is making her own gesture, a symbolic nod to her approach as a political spouse.
—
Jay Stahl, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
While speaking at her daily news conference on Wednesday, Sheinbaum framed the moment as symbolic of a broader issue facing Mexican women.
—Emma Bussey , Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Radiohead’s decision to play this tour in the round, on a small circular center stage, feels like a symbolic decision rooted in bringing one another close together to try and regain some sense of grounding and connection.
—Daniel Dylan Wray, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2025
Each of them would go on to make Gracie Mansion not only a private residence but also a symbolic extension of New York City’s public life.
—Nandika Chatterjee, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
Jay Stahl, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
While speaking at her daily news conference on Wednesday, Sheinbaum framed the moment as symbolic of a broader issue facing Mexican women.
—Emma Bussey , Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Radiohead’s decision to play this tour in the round, on a small circular center stage, feels like a symbolic decision rooted in bringing one another close together to try and regain some sense of grounding and connection.
—Daniel Dylan Wray, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2025
Each of them would go on to make Gracie Mansion not only a private residence but also a symbolic extension of New York City’s public life.
—Nandika Chatterjee, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for symbolic
Adjective
-
With the aim of building a more globally representative voting body, Monday’s announcement revealed the accepted class is comprised of 50% of people 39 and under, 58% of people of color and 35% women.—
Thania Garcia,
Variety,
3 Nov. 2025
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But that penalty would have never existed had Florida not squandered two drives in the final eight minutes, both in representative fashion.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
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
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These models encode representational maps.—
Eric Markowitz,
Big Think,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Alpha Genesis’s red-meat pivot is emblematic of the desperate position in which the primate-breeding industry now finds itself.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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But the reaction was also emblematic of both sides.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Symbolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/symbolic. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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