as in theoretical
dealing with or expressing a quality or idea
ideograms are ideational—they are meant to suggest some general idea and not a particular word or phrase
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Recent Examples of ideational
The ideational content of the image — a man killing another man on a public sidewalk — is only half the message.
—
F.k. Plous, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
This process, which Doten-Snitker and her coauthors term ideational diffusion, often took many years as people in towns and cities needed time to digest new ideas about witchcraft and turn them into behavior.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2024
The ideational content of the image — a man killing another man on a public sidewalk — is only half the message.
—F.k. Plous, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
The United States, of course, cannot share everything—physical or ideational—with its partners.
—Thomas G. Mahnken, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2024
This ideational convergence, deepened by two decades of accumulating trust between India and the United States, has enhanced the strategic partnership and set the stage for even closer cooperation in the future.
—Ashley J. Tellis, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2020
Steven Spielberg extends Griffith’s and Ford’s historical insight through an astonishing mix of visual and ideational dialectics.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 June 2023
Einstein’s theories as ideational relativism.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 3 May 2021
And the Trump Administration is taking concrete steps to encourage this ideational fusion.
—Time, 13 Dec. 2019
F.k. Plous, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
This process, which Doten-Snitker and her coauthors term ideational diffusion, often took many years as people in towns and cities needed time to digest new ideas about witchcraft and turn them into behavior.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2024
The ideational content of the image — a man killing another man on a public sidewalk — is only half the message.
—F.k. Plous, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
The United States, of course, cannot share everything—physical or ideational—with its partners.
—Thomas G. Mahnken, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2024
This ideational convergence, deepened by two decades of accumulating trust between India and the United States, has enhanced the strategic partnership and set the stage for even closer cooperation in the future.
—Ashley J. Tellis, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2020
Steven Spielberg extends Griffith’s and Ford’s historical insight through an astonishing mix of visual and ideational dialectics.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 June 2023
Einstein’s theories as ideational relativism.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 3 May 2021
And the Trump Administration is taking concrete steps to encourage this ideational fusion.
—Time, 13 Dec. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ideational
Adjective
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For stock market investors, the equity risk premium is the theoretical excess return of stocks over risk-free assets to account for market risk.—
,
CNBC,
19 May 2025
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But this wasn’t a concept Kang pursued purely for its theoretical strength.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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Her interest in mysteries and the occult began in the metaphysical section at her local Borders.—
Roya Backlund,
StyleCaster,
16 May 2025
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In my adolescence, the fight turned emotional and metaphysical, mirroring the peaks and valleys of hormonal mood shifts.—
Carla Sosenko,
Vogue,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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Production and Future Outlook The AI Pro has progressed beyond the conceptual stage, with prototypes manufactured by Global Foundries in Dresden.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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The initial development agreement for the town center was approved back in 2006, long before the project had a conceptual site plan.—
James Wilkins,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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Titled Three Coverings, Fleming’s larger-than-life, abstract sculptures occupy a garden evocative of the British countryside.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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Pieces even feature abstract prints of Mickey and friends wandering through sci-fi scenery.—
Violet Goldstone,
Footwear News,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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This definition also includes instance in which the victim is incapable of giving consent because of temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity (include due to the influence of drugs or alcohol) or because of age.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Apr. 2025
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Without supervision or regulation, kids can easily stumble upon explicit material, including violent and extremist content, that can lead to mental distress, desensitization and a warped perception of the world around them.—
Richard Wistocki,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Be aware that subconscious resistance may push against intellectual exploration under the Aquarius moon.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
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In an era when media depictions of Black youth still too often revolve around trauma, poverty, and systemic failure, Forever offers a radical counter-narrative: Black families where parents are not just present, but deeply invested in their children’s emotional and intellectual development.—
Richard Fowler,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ideational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ideational. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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