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
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Recent Examples of symbolic
The American Academy of Pediatrics issuing its own vaccine guidance is not just symbolic.
—
Jason Willick, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
Government announcements about closing notorious detention centers such as El Helicoide and La Tumba have been framed as symbolic breaks with the past.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Cape Town is a symbolic place for the designer Thebe Magugu.
—Amy Verner, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2026
The victory is largely symbolic as the Texas state Senate will not convene until January 2027.
—Diana Paulsen, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
Jason Willick, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
Government announcements about closing notorious detention centers such as El Helicoide and La Tumba have been framed as symbolic breaks with the past.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Cape Town is a symbolic place for the designer Thebe Magugu.
—Amy Verner, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2026
The victory is largely symbolic as the Texas state Senate will not convene until January 2027.
—Diana Paulsen, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for symbolic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for symbolic
Adjective
-
Instead, the courts sorted the lawsuits into thematic groups with representative lead cases.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
9 Feb. 2026
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The stories below are in no way meant to be representative.—
Anna Moeslein,
Glamour,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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When attention is this constrained, dedicating visual bandwidth to representational cues necessarily displaces something else.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
7 Feb. 2026
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As that might lead you to expect, there’s not much to be wildly enthused about here, past the representational plane.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Throughout the book, Pratt portrays himself as an emblematic Southern California character, obsessed with crystals and burritos, New Age notions and get-rich-quick schemes, self-mythology and the power of celebrity.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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The flap over news that this would be the NFL’s halftime entertainment is emblematic of the MAGA movement’s naked disinterest in much beyond a deciding say in the messaging of America’s largest platforms.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Symbolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/symbolic. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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