Symbolic Meaning
/sɪˈmbɑlɪk/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjPertaining to a symbol.
adjImplicitly representing or referring to another thing.
Sentence Examples
The dismissal of foreign minister Tanaka is symbolic of the continuing political turmoil.
Might it happen to be a large symbolic grove of trees?
He shook his fist in a symbolic gesture of defiance.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The statue of liberty is ____ of freedom and democracy.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The colors on the national flag are ____ of the country’s long history and its many important cultural values today.
Word Origin & History
From French symbolique or directly from Latin symbolicus, from Ancient Greek συμβολικός (sumbolikós, “of or belonging to a symbol”), equivalent to symbol + -ic.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […]. Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. When a series of bank failures made this impossible, there was widespread anger, leading to the public humiliation of symbolic figures."
— 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, archived from the original on 05 Dec 2019, page 21:
"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."
— 2023 June 17, Tom Perkins, “‘A sense of betrayal’: liberal dismay as Muslim-led US city bans Pride flags”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 10 Aug 2023:
"As a sign-off, they played the video for 1979 new wave classic, a symbolic choice at it was also the first video that MTV ever aired when it launched in the US in 1981."
— 2026 January 1, Max Pilley, “MTV shuts down final music-only channels with ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’”, in NME:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The statue of liberty is ____ of freedom and democracy.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The colors on the national flag are ____ of the country’s long history and its many important cultural values today.