emblematize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to function as an emblem of; symbolize
-
to represent by or as by an emblem
Etymology
Origin of emblematize
1605–15; emblemat- ( see emblematic) + -ize
Explanation
To emblematize is to act as a symbol for something, the way a "thumbs-up" gesture emblematizes encouragement or the American flag emblematizes the United States. When something emblematizes a larger idea, it acts as an emblem, an object or design that stands in for a concept, group, or business. Think of the peace sign, McDonald's golden arches, or your favorite sports team's logo. People can also act as emblems, when they come to represent an era in history or an ideal. One example is Martin Luther King, Jr., who emblematizes the civil rights movement for many Americans.
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.
See Examples For:
Typically treated as sartorial jokes, these jumpsuits emblematize the star at his apogee, that moment before his fame and his life collapsed on him and he crumpled to earth.
From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2022
Already, the data-driven ad-targeting model that Google and Facebook emblematize is much more worrying than normal advertising, in which buyers purchase ads to reach a demographic but are unable to target individuals.
From Slate ● May 7, 2018
By then, Steiner’s flights—like Eisner’s survival—had come to emblematize all he hoped to achieve, a rejection of the human body and its limitations.
From Slate ● Feb. 19, 2018
In the ’60s, John Dickinson used it for hooved and footed plaster furnishings that came to emblematize San Francisco’s California cool.
From Architectural Digest ● Jan. 7, 2015
The commentators of Vasari have taken this to emblematize the Roman Catholic legend of the Virgin having given rods to each of her suitors, and chosen him whose rod blossomed.
From Fra Bartolommeo by Kendrick, Flora
A product partnership with Disney, he suggested, emblematized its lack of focus.
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
His inability to accept payment now, he suggests, is an expression of his faith in God, as emblematized by the Jesus figurines we see proudly displayed next to his army certificates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
Michel’s father and uncle, Pierre and Jean, were widely considered to be nouvelle cuisine pioneers, emblematized by a famous salmon and sorrel dish they invented.
From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 2023
Baradar, who once emblematized the Taliban’s ascetic-warrior image, will have to decide whether to sleep there, in the former home of the men he spent two decades fighting.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 17, 2021
The driving wind and storm that emblematized another kind, gave emphasis also to the emblem of shelter.
From Say and Seal, Volume II by Warner, Susan
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.
