schematic
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of schematic
First recorded in 1695–1705; from New Latin schēmaticus, from Greek schēmatikós, from schēmat-, stem of schêma “form, figure” ( see scheme) + -ikos -ic
Explanation
Use the adjective schematic to describe a drawing that's very simple and symbolic. That drawing your cousin made of a house with a pointy roof, smiling stick figures, and a round yellow sun? Very schematic. The word schematic can apply to ideas as well as drawings. In this case, schematic describes an overly simple interpretation of something complex, like a work of literature or a detailed plan for social change. Think of it like the drawing of a boxy house and stick figures, only applied to ideas — it's an outline of something that may not capture all the important details.
Vocabulary lists containing schematic
Dragonwings
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Fast Pitch
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This Week In Culture: January 18–24, 2020
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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.
It’s more like a schematic of a confounding investigation and a sympathetic survey of a devastated emotional landscape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Unfortunately, the juggling of storylines ends up being more schematic than insightful.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
It is one thing to make a schematic diagram of social categories, and another thing to confront examples of them in the flesh; that is the tension that runs through “People.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
Rams coach Sean McVay and San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan know each other — and each other’s schematic and play-calling tendencies — better than perhaps any two coaches in the NFL.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2025
We know of countless later instances of magic which require only the crudest and most schematic kind of representation, such as two crossed sticks for a human figure.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
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.
