Definition of symbolism in English:

symbolism

noun

mass noun

1The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.
‘he has always believed in the importance of symbolism in garden art’
- ‘And that is the main fault line running through the collection: the stories are too choked with symbolism to achieve their lofty ambitions.’
- ‘This is a lot more about symbolism than substance.’
- ‘Like other films from the region, it carries deep-set symbolism and unspoken ideas.’
- ‘It is all symbolism, and scare tactics and vaporizing about the ‘idea of Europe’.’
- ‘The symbolism was no accident: the film represented a new Germany, reborn and free of suffering on the First World War cross of defeat and humiliation.’
- ‘These changes indicate a shift in ritual communication and material symbolism.’
- ‘What is most disappointing is that I could tell there were a lot of cultural references and symbolism that I missed as a non-Japanese viewer.’
- ‘Through symbolism, you get your message across.’
- ‘While detractors tend to focus on his heavy symbolism and soliloquies, there is nonetheless a more delicate strand to Bergman's work.’
- ‘But in fact, the words, symbolism and ideology were a ruse for grasping and holding onto power.’
- ‘Several former communist leaders used symbolism, religion, and outright dictatorial tactics to remain in power.’
- ‘Overflowing with symbolism and ironic dialogue, the film is beautifully washed in grey light.’
- ‘I suspect they could cut it down, but I think people like the religious symbolism - I think it helps them believe revival will work.’
- ‘But anyone who has ever striven to meet their standards knows they do not sacrifice quality for symbolism's sake.’
- ‘Although Emily's contemplations can feel overwritten and her symbolism heavy-handed, her engagingly angsty personality draws us in.’
- ‘This rivalry serves as a subject worth great discussion due to the political symbolism each team represents and the history which divides the collected fans.’
- ‘The counter-argument is that those who believe this are just taking symbolism to the extreme, and symbols aren't inviolable.’
- ‘Topics include symbolism, dialogue, and the influence of film on reading comics.’
- ‘Among the most interesting qualities of this film is the way this symbolism reinforces itself on multiple levels.’
- ‘Some questioned the political gain of such self-sacrifice, or of trying to take down a heavily guarded fence in a gesture of dubious symbolism.’
1. 1.1 Symbolic meaning attributed to natural objects or facts.
  ‘the old-fashioned symbolism of flowers’
  ‘I totally agree with Patrice Hall that a symbol loses its symbolism if it tells you what it symbolises.’
  ‘The real significance of the vote is in its symbolism, and the fact it comes at a critical, watershed juncture in the evolution of sentiment toward the euro.’
  ‘We are part of the community and there is a certain amount of symbolism in the event.’
  ‘Then there is the giving and receiving of gifts for children which can take on an increased significance and symbolism during the festive season.’
  ‘In fact, all symbolism is a type of metaphor since they compare two unlike things.’
  ‘Morrison is right that there have been many gestural attempts to endow some buildings and the institutions that they house with significance through architectural symbolism.’
  ‘This tour de force of silver, gold, and enamel, more than three feet tall, is bristling with foliage and flowers and laden with symbolism.’
  ‘I especially love it when there is no meaningful symbolism and the inclusion of something pivotal was entirely by accident or an after thought.’
  ‘The symbolism carved out of flowers, the sun and elements of nature is surprisingly shared across the board of all three artists.’
  ‘If you want to know what joining the European Union means for a country like the Czech Republic, look at the symbolism of the fact that it took place on May 1.’
  ‘Here's hoping that there is no deeper symbolism in the fact that the Namibian flag was hanging upside-down outside the High Court yesterday.’
  ‘Therefore, if a flag purely represents the symbolism one personally attaches to it, surely it is harmless?’
  ‘The 12 dishes of a traditional banquet are chosen mainly for their symbolism and connotations of luck.’
  ‘It was a thousand years from Charlemagne to Napoleon, and yet the implicit symbolism of the Bonaparte's action was unmistakable.’
  ‘It was a moment of pomp and circumstance, and of great symbolism, tinged with more than a little sadness.’
  ‘The lily has always had strong symbolic value, though its meaning and symbolism have changed through the ages.’
  ‘They either remained blissfully ignorant about the deep symbolism of these images or deliberately ignored it.’
  ‘The Mourides have in fact developed a far-reaching symbolism around the various attributes seen within the original photograph.’
  ‘There is a kind of symbolism in the fact that the quotation comes from a man who also from time to time got into trouble in the town of Ayr.’
  ‘Well, let me ask you about that, in fact, because the symbolism of marriage is very clear.’
  ‘Maybe there was symbolism in the fact that he had built her coffin.’
2An artistic and poetic movement or style using symbolic images and indirect suggestion to express mystical ideas, emotions, and states of mind. It originated in late 19th-century France and Belgium, with important figures including Mallarmé, Maeterlinck, Verlaine, Rimbaud, and Redon.
- ‘Highly decorative and extremely personal, Davie's work celebrates colour and form, symbolism and mysticism.’
- ‘Throughout his life he read voraciously about the great figures of European romanticism and symbolism.’
- ‘This pioneering show was not so much a re-evaluation of the artists as a validation of their importance through their contribution to European symbolism.’
- ‘And that motif links the poem with the overall symbolism of Swinburne's world where the sea is always considered a last refuge after pain.’
- ‘And, three, it also introduces a terrific tool for writers and visual artists alike: symbolism.’
- ‘The lyrics veer between poetic symbolism and naked political urgency.’
- ‘The work employs Alvar's traditional figures and symbolism to convey the message.’
- ‘Golding brings emotion, thought, and symbolism together in Lord Of The Flies to tell a story of survival by adaptation and ingenuity.’
- ‘Writings were characterized by symbolism, romanticism, and existentialism.’
- ‘Other essays touch on matters of style, symbolism and irony.’
- ‘What was he trying to convey and what was the idea behind this symbolism?’
- ‘One of the most important qualities of symbolism within this novel, is the way in which it is so fully integrated into the plot and structure.’
- ‘According to the artist, the painting is full of symbolism.’
- ‘Poetry has been especially impacted: the Dawn-esque symbolism of Yeats informs Ted Hughes, and much Seamus Heaney and John Berryman.’
- ‘More labels spring to mind, formalism and symbolism among them.’
- ‘Various other literary styles, such as symbolism and existentialism, have influenced Slovene writers since the 1960s.’
- ‘His style, derived from observations of both art and life, is a more or less naive, expressionistic symbolism.’
- ‘It represents a rustic vision of Jacob wrestling with the Angel, but the real struggle fought out on canvas is between naturalism and symbolism in art.’
- ‘There are traces of surrealism, symbolism in his works.’
- ‘From the first his work was macabre and fantastic, influenced by Goya's Caprichos, the drawings of Beardsley, the eroticism of Rops, and the symbolism of Redon.’