Synonyms of symbolic

symbolic

adjective

sim-ˈbä-lik 

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

• representative
• representational
• emblematic
• metaphoric
• figurative
• figural
• tropological
• allegorical

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• actual
• literal
• nonsymbolic

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of symbolic

The film’s observational intensity yields a form of symbolic realism that highlights both the action and its import—both the drama and the ideas and systems that undergird it. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026

The tiger is one of the most symbolic animals in Korean culture. — Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026

Soon after that, some fighters laid down their weapons in a symbolic ceremony in northern Iraq, where the group is based, and withdrew some fighters from key locations in Turkey to Iraq. — Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

In December, the tribunal issued its final judgment in The Hague—a symbolic choice given the city’s role as a center of international justice—upholding the charge of gender persecution. — Rina Amiri, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026