symbolism
pronunciation
How to pronounce symbolism in British English:
UK [ˈsɪmbəlɪzəm]
How to pronounce symbolism in American English:
US [ˈsɪmbəlɪzəm]
-
- Noun:
- a system of symbols and symbolic representations
- the practice of investing things with symbolic meaning
- an artistic movement in the late 19th century that tried to express abstract or mystical ideas through the symbolic use of images
Word Origin
- symbolism (n.)
- 1650s, "practice of representing things with symbols," from symbol + -ism. Applied to the arts by 1866; attested from 1892 as a movement in French literature, from French symbolisme (see symbolist).
Example
- 1. Bolton initially did academic work studying the symbolism of clothing in thailand .
- 2. But in a system excruciatingly attuned to political symbolism , that seems implausible .
- 3. The symbolism of the gesture is everything one could wish .
- 4. It plunges deep into the complexity of the art of the manuscript , the use of colour , perspective and symbolism .
- 5. The symbolism at ise is perfect for a country that is wont to see itself as a nation apart , one that makes sense only in reference to itself .