symbolism

American  

[sim-buh-liz-uhm] / ˈsɪm bəˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character.

2. a set or system of symbols.

3. symbolic meaning or character.

4. the principles and practice of symbolists in art or literature.

5. (initial capital letter) a movement of the late 19th century in French art and literature.

6. the use of any of certain special figures or marks of identification to signify a religious message or divine being, as the cross for Christ and the Christian faith.

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symbolism British  

/ ˈsɪmbəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the representation of something in symbolic form or the attribution of symbolic meaning or character to something

2. a system of symbols or symbolic representation

3. a symbolic significance or quality

4. (often capital) a late 19th-century movement in art that sought to express mystical or abstract ideas through the symbolic use of images See also synthetism

5. theol any symbolist interpretation of the Eucharist

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Etymology

Origin of symbolism

First recorded in 1645–55; symbol + -ism

Example Sentences

There’s more to this outcome than Resistance-pleasing symbolism, though.

From Slate • Mar. 28, 2026

But symbolism is important in maintaining a democratic society under the rule of law.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026

He has deliberately worked to reclaim the Dutch flag from far‑right symbolism and angry farmers by presenting it as a source of inclusive, progressive pride.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

In their fiction—mostly novels for Woolf, short stories for Mansfield—they experimented by replacing linear narrative and descriptive detail with suggestion and symbolism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

“She’ll have to learn the symbolism of the revolution,” somebody said.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

Related Words

• metaphor