symbolic

CEFRB2

/sɪˈmbɑlɪk/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Representing an idea or quality rather than being literal.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Implicitly representing or referring to another thing.

Examples

  • He shook his fist in a symbolic gesture of defiance.

  • Might it happen to be a large symbolic grove of trees?

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
3

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. Pertaining to a symbol.

More examples

In context

  • The dismissal of foreign minister Tanaka is symbolic of the continuing political turmoil.

  • a symbolic gesture

  • They viewed the power shift and diversity as a symbolic but meaningful rebuke of the Islamophobic rhetoric that was a central theme of then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The statue of liberty is blank of freedom and democracy.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From French symbolique or directly from Latin symbolicus, from Ancient Greek συμβολικός (sumbolikós, “of or belonging to a symbol”), equivalent to symbol + -ic.