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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of symbolic
The amount of effort and time required to complete the task implies the mass murder was part of a larger, symbolic ceremony.
—
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 25 Feb. 2026
The Hint app isn’t a fortune-telling platform, but instead is described by the brand as a symbolic emotional insight platform.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
For Muji, whose Paris offices sit directly across the street from the site, the project is both symbolic and strategic.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 23 Feb. 2026
Crosslike marks don’t appear on objects depicting humans, while dots don’t appear on tools—indicating that the markings must have had some sort of symbolic meaning to the Stone Age humans who made them, Bentz says.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 25 Feb. 2026
The Hint app isn’t a fortune-telling platform, but instead is described by the brand as a symbolic emotional insight platform.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
For Muji, whose Paris offices sit directly across the street from the site, the project is both symbolic and strategic.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 23 Feb. 2026
Crosslike marks don’t appear on objects depicting humans, while dots don’t appear on tools—indicating that the markings must have had some sort of symbolic meaning to the Stone Age humans who made them, Bentz says.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for symbolic
Adjective
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Not to mention the disproportionate effect this will have on students from diverse and low-income backgrounds, undermining efforts to build a representative health care workforce and preventing even more qualified candidates from entering the field.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
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Using public data on a nationally representative group of 326 older women and men enrolled in 1999 and 2000, researchers studied the concentration of 11 PFAS and epigenetic markers in blood samples and reviewed participant questionnaires on demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The piece is entirely presentational, with minimal representational actions taking place between the brothers.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
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But the sight of a Jew excelling in sports is even more than a bit of representational inspiration.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In a long-ago movie, emblematic of America’s uncritical, dangerous addiction to nostalgia, Kevin Costner played a farmer who mows down his corn field in order to create a baseball diamond so that the ghosts of former baseball players can come and play there.—
Sayantani DasGupta
February 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
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California Adventure is today emblematic of some of the best that Disney has to offer.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Symbolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/symbolic. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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