Symbol-pushing
adj
adj ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Using symbol pushing; solving mathematical problems by manipulating symbols (as in algebra) rather than through visual or intuitive understanding. derogatory, not-comparable
"Reasoning by equivalence is essentially a symbol-pushing technique, which reduces algebraic reasoning to a mechanical calculation. There is nothing pejorative in describing this activity as symbol-pushing or as mechanical: in some senses this automation is liberating."
Example
More examples"Reasoning by equivalence is essentially a symbol-pushing technique, which reduces algebraic reasoning to a mechanical calculation. There is nothing pejorative in describing this activity as symbol-pushing or as mechanical: in some senses this automation is liberating."
Etymology
Derived from symbol pushing.
More for "symbol-pushing"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.