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

Explanation

When you come across objects in a painting or story that stand for a concept, the artist or author is using symbolism to convey ideas. If a particular object keeps popping up at key points in a story, chances are the author is using symbolism to convey an idea or emotion. In Aesop's fable "The Fox and the Grapes," the grapes symbolize things too difficult for someone to attain or achieve. Sometimes people use symbolism in real life. If the President meets a dignitary in the Oval Office, the symbolism of the location says, "I take you especially seriously."

Example Sentences

The White House on Sunday acknowledged Trump’s visit would be heavier on symbolism and lighter on policy outcomes, though both countries expect to announce agreements on Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural and aerospace products.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Dante Alighieri's Inferno may contain more than religious symbolism and poetic imagination.

From Science Daily • May 11, 2026

Saturday's festivities outside and inside parliament are laden with symbolism, featuring flags and music that pays tribute to Hungary's EU membership, its sizeable Roma minority and ethnic Hungarians in neighbouring countries.

From Barron's • May 9, 2026

This makes Lego a kitschy means of egalitarian expression, effective for conveying all manner of messaging and symbolism.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026

But we were standing then in a different area of the house, the frozen-in-time, museum-like part of the place, where symbolism lived and mattered, where the country's old bones were on display.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• metaphor