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
Rick Jackson's absence turned the debate into a powerful symbolic moment.
—
Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 3 June 2026
The job, however, is mostly symbolic unless disaster strikes.
—Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
The announcement was widely interpreted as a symbolic break with Venezuela’s recent history of political repression.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 June 2026
In making his statement opposing the ordinance, McBroom brought up the conclusion from a previous city staff memo that the ordinance would be mostly symbolic in nature.
—Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 3 June 2026
The job, however, is mostly symbolic unless disaster strikes.
—Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
The announcement was widely interpreted as a symbolic break with Venezuela’s recent history of political repression.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 June 2026
In making his statement opposing the ordinance, McBroom brought up the conclusion from a previous city staff memo that the ordinance would be mostly symbolic in nature.
—Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for symbolic
Adjective
-
Most recently, late neoliberalism revived a central aspect of 1970s pluralism, retooled as representative diversity—once again under the pressure of political activism, which reckoned with decades of racially exclusionary collecting, exhibiting, and hiring practices at art institutions.—
Katy Siegel,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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Similarly, the decor throughout the hotel—statues, artwork, and furniture from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America—is representative of their adventures.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Adapting their identities, behaviors, and social realities to the representational limits of machines.—
Hamilton Mann,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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Her own work moves between evocative and representational — but there’s always a thread.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Descendants of Monticello is emblematic of this Semiquincentennial—a nation commemorating an unfinished project of democracy.—
Time,
Time,
2 June 2026
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Experts in mental health told ProPublica that the incident is emblematic of practices flagged by the Justice Department more than three years ago.—
Topher Sanders,
ProPublica,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Symbolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/symbolic. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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