emblematic
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of emblematic
1635–45; < Greek emblēmat-, stem of émblēma ( see emblem) + -ic
Explanation
Something emblematic is symbolic. Empty buildings are emblematic of a city in decline, and a crown is emblematic of royalty. If you know that an emblem is a visual symbol, then you won't be surprised that emblematic things stand for other things. In fact, the word emblem comes from the French word for symbol. Something emblematic represents a larger issue, good or bad. Sometimes emblematic is used for things that are excellent examples. An A student is an emblematic student, and a war hero is an emblematic soldier. Emblematic people are symbols of what others aspire to be.
Vocabulary lists containing emblematic
Viewing Current Refugee Crisis Through an Anne Frank Lens
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The Namesake
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Words from the 2020 Vice Presidential Debate
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Emblematic of this is Toulouse in the south-west, home of France's aeronautics industry as well as a big student population and a classic French banlieue of high-rise estates.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
Emblematic is Hine’s luminous picture of a young girl — called a spinner — at North Carolina’s Whitnel Cotton Mfg.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2025
Emblematic of this not being a typical game was a media tent that opened two hours before the game for check-in.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 1, 2023
Emblematic of the Italian-American experience and a matriarch of a "food family" that stretches across industry and time, Bastianich is a bastion of ingenuity and talent.
From Salon • May 26, 2023
Emblematic of the epoch of sailing-ship exploration and discovery is the revolutionary Dutch Republic of the seventeenth century.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
