SYMBOLICAL Synonyms: 13 Similar and Opposite Words

symbolic

adjective

sim-ˈbä-lik

variants also symbolical

Definition of symbolic

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

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of symbolic Critics argue the measures are largely symbolic and unnecessary, because voting by noncitizens is rare and already forbidden in federal elections. — David A. Lieb, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026 Vermette and director Kane Parsons ultimately adapted this restriction to be a symbolic transition in the film. — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026 Other astronomers have previously suggested that The Starry Night is not just a symbolic representation, but shows the actual night sky at the time it was created, specifically in June 1889. — ArsTechnica, 2 Nov. 2026 Following the Black Death in medieval Europe, memento mori, symbolic reminders of death’s inevitability, further ubiquitized skulls in art and architecture. — Livia Caligor, Architectural Digest, 30 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for symbolic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for symbolic

Adjective

Data collection The survey was conducted using several online access panels to guarantee a representative sample of employees across the region.

— TIME Staff, Time, 3 Nov. 2026
As of Tuesday morning the strike appeared more narrowly focused, with a Teamsters representative naming O’Hare, McCormick Place and the Hyatt Regency hotel as the locations where workers were currently on strike.

— Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of representative

Adjective

This literally cataclysmic[6] event was preceded by algebraic computations that were never just representational, as might be more the case for geometry, but were from the outset proactive.

— Artforum, Artforum, 28 Sep. 2026
The reflex to regard America’s earlier representational and nationalist traditions as something to be repudiated, rather than reconsidered, is learned — not inevitable.

— Frank Porcu, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of representational

Adjective

Along with several other candidates this cycle, Chevalier became emblematic of a new swell of progressivism in America.

— Mark Guiducci, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 2026
This is a play emblematic of why, for all of the ups and downs, for all of the physical development that lies ahead, Lekkerimäki is a player with a shot to be a top-six mainstay.

— Thomas Drance, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of emblematic

Browse Nearby Words

symboled

symbolic

symboling

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“Symbolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/symbolic. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of symbolic

adjective

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