What does "symbolist" mean?
One who employs symbols.
Symbolist
adj, noun
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who employs symbols.
- Grammar: symbolist is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: advocate of symbolism, allegorical, balladmonger, bard.
- Useful contrasts: explicit, literal, literalist.
- Usage evidence: Both Decadence and Aestheticism, as intellectual movements, have fallen into the nadir of oblivion, and the dust lies heavy upon them, but they left a little leaven to lighten the heavy inertness of correct and academic literature; and now Symbolism, a greater movement than either, is in the ascendant, giving another turn to the wheel, and to all who think deeply about such matters it seems as though Symbolist literature is to be the literature of the future.
How to use "symbolist"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "symbolist" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "symbolist" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "symbolist" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "symbolist" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "symbolist" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "advocate of symbolism" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who employs symbols.
- 2 a member of an artistic movement that expressed ideas indirectly via symbols wordnet
- 3 A symbolist poet or artist.
"The symbolists had not all an explicit philosophy; but they were all aware of potencies in the world or in themselves which language cannot articulately express, and which are yet more vitally real than the 'facts' which we can grasp and handle, and the 'respectable' people whom we can measure and reckon with."
- 4 someone skilled in the interpretation or representation of symbols wordnet
- 5 A proponent of symbolic artificial intelligence.
"At the helm of the symbolists was [Frank] Rosenblatt’s nemesis, MIT professor Marvin Minsky."
Adjective
- 1 Of or pertaining to the Symbolist movement in late 19th-century and early 20th-century European arts and literature not-comparable
"The general picture that has emerged is one of Cubism bubbling up out of a thick Parisian stew of symbolist poetry, Cézanne, cafe society, African masks, absinthe and a fascination with all things mechanical and modern, mostly airplanes and automatons."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Both Decadence and Aestheticism, as intellectual movements, have fallen into the nadir of oblivion, and the dust lies heavy upon them, but they left a little leaven to lighten the heavy inertness of correct and academic literature; and now Symbolism, a greater movement than either, is in the ascendant, giving another turn to the wheel, and to all who think deeply about such matters it seems as though Symbolist literature is to be the literature of the future."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "symbolist"?
Common synonyms include: advocate of symbolism, allegorical, balladmonger, bard, elegist, interpretive critic.
How do you use "symbolist" in a sentence?
Both Decadence and Aestheticism, as intellectual movements, have fallen into the nadir of oblivion, and the dust lies heavy upon them, but they left a little leaven to lighten the heavy inertness of correct and academic literature; and now Symbolism, a greater movement than either, is in the ascendant, giving another turn to the wheel, and to all who think deeply about such matters it seems as though Symbolist literature is to be the literature of the future.
Etymology
From French symboliste, coined by French poet Paul Verlaine in 1885.