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
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Recent Examples of symbolic
Zoom out: This is the Year of the Snake, which is itself symbolic.
—
Carly Mallenbaum, Axios, 28 Jan. 2025
They are considered rather volatile in the cryptocurrency space with a large amount of risk and are more symbolic rather than investment focused, allowing buyers to support an online personality or celebrity.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2025
Some of the subreddits acknowledged that links to X were not frequently posted to begin with, but that the decision to ban them was symbolic.
—Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 23 Jan. 2025
Within hours after returning to the White House, Mr. Trump made a symbolic mark on the future of artificial intelligence by repealing Biden's guardrails for the fast-developing technology.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for symbolic 
Carly Mallenbaum, Axios, 28 Jan. 2025
They are considered rather volatile in the cryptocurrency space with a large amount of risk and are more symbolic rather than investment focused, allowing buyers to support an online personality or celebrity.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2025
Some of the subreddits acknowledged that links to X were not frequently posted to begin with, but that the decision to ban them was symbolic.
—Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 23 Jan. 2025
Within hours after returning to the White House, Mr. Trump made a symbolic mark on the future of artificial intelligence by repealing Biden's guardrails for the fast-developing technology.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for symbolic
Thesaurus Entries Near symbolic
Cite this Entry
“Symbolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/symbolic. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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