symbolic adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of symbolic adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

symbolic

adjective
 
 
/sɪmˈbɒlɪk/
 
/sɪmˈbɑːlɪk/
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  1. containing symbols, or being used as a symbol
    • He shook his fist in a symbolic gesture of defiance.
    • The ceremony has a deep symbolic meaning.
    • The new regulations are largely symbolic (= they will not have any real effect).
    • symbolic of something The dove is symbolic of peace.
    Extra Examples
    • The case became symbolic of the problem of violence against women.
    • The role of monarch is a purely symbolic one.
    • These two objects are symbolic of life and death.
    • This is a gruesome and heavily symbolic tale.
    Topics Artc1, Literature and writingc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • seem
    • become
    • …
    adverb
    • deeply
    • heavily
    • highly
    • …
    preposition
    • of
    See full entry
    Word Originmid 17th cent.: from French symbolique or late Latin symbolicus, from Greek sumbolikos.
See symbolic in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee symbolic in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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Nearby words

alloy
noun
 
 
From the Topic
Physics and chemistry
C2
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