variants
also symbolical
as in representational
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
Even if the case proceeds, most of the East Wing has already been torn down, making a work stoppage largely symbolic.
—
Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Economists say these subtle but symbolic changes matter.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
The campaign was shot in Los Angeles alongside symbolic animals — a hawk, an owl, an indigo snake and Dobermans — that are meant to represent different facets of Mackage’s DNA.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
Despite its small size, Santa Rosa holds strategic and symbolic weight.
—Isa Cardona, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Economists say these subtle but symbolic changes matter.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
The campaign was shot in Los Angeles alongside symbolic animals — a hawk, an owl, an indigo snake and Dobermans — that are meant to represent different facets of Mackage’s DNA.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
Despite its small size, Santa Rosa holds strategic and symbolic weight.
—Isa Cardona, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for symbolic
Adjective
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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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What To Know PayPal’s nationally representative poll gathered responses from 1,000 American adults in early September.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
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The French Revolution of 1789 had many causes—political, ideological, economic, and social—yet in its early phases, many people were optimistic about forming a new representative government based on meritocracy and leaving behind an absolutist polity and hierarchical class structures.—
Time,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Symbolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/symbolic. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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