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symbolism

American  

[sim-buh-liz-uhm] / ˈsɪm bəˌlɪz əm /

noun

• symbolisms
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• symbolisms
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of symbolism

First recorded in 1645–55; symbol + -ism

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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

See Examples For:

symbolism symbolisms

“I mean, it’s not just symbolism and performance. It’s real governance and management.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

Some commentaries noted it was less about substance than ceremony and symbolism, but what did it commemorate or symbolize?

From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026

DJ SoulChild AC said on TikTok that even if it wasn’t Converse’s intention, “We can see the symbolism from a mile away.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

One should not read too much into a single event, but once again the symbolism is compelling.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

I did think, however, that the symbolism of the rat and squirrel or rat-squirrel or squirrel-rat was evocative and rather excellent.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Why does heavy metal use so many biblical references and symbolisms?

From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2021

The angels mesmerizingly invoke the symbolisms of Old World Catholicism, Peru’s indigenous culture, and, thanks to their malevolent European-looking faces, the clashes that resulted when these forces met.

From New York Times ● Aug. 21, 2017

An amiable fantasy, the play is told in homely, backyard terms, with no attempt at cosmic symbolisms.

From Time Magazine Archive

Part of Playwright Chayefsky's purpose in doing this is to cast light on the world of reality, to set up symbolisms, set speculation going.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was too late in the day for our language to be seriously interested in such pretty symbolisms as foot: feet.

From Language An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir

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