symbolism
Americannoun
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the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character.
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a set or system of symbols.
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symbolic meaning or character.
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the principles and practice of symbolists in art or literature.
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(initial capital letter) a movement of the late 19th century in French art and literature.
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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.
noun
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the representation of something in symbolic form or the attribution of symbolic meaning or character to something
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a system of symbols or symbolic representation
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a symbolic significance or quality
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(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
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theol any symbolist interpretation of the Eucharist
Etymology
Origin of symbolism
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."
Vocabulary lists containing symbolism
Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Introductory
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Poetry: Literary Devices
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The AP English Exam: Rhetorical and Literary Terms 3
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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.
The symbolism of doing “Walküre” is, for Dudamel, unmistakable.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
The White House has acknowledged that Trump’s visit would be heavier on symbolism and lighter on policy outcomes.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
It was a day heavy with symbolism in Beijing, marked by choreographed ceremonies and carefully staged optics, but there was no sweeping trade breakthrough or major business agreements.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
The repeated use of gold imagery only intensifies those concerns because of the symbolism gold carries historically and biblically: kingship, permanence, divinity and power.
From Salon • May 10, 2026
That’s enough symbolism for one day, Obie told himself.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
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.
