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
-
Final Approach The consequences are no longer theoretical.—
Emil Sayegh,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
-
For the first time in decades, the question of succession is no longer theoretical.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Twin Cities,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
Body Mind Spirit Celebration Enjoy entertainment, shop metaphysical vendors, get a reading or healing, and explore live learning sessions that include crystals, holistic wellness, tarot and more at this celebration of the body, mind and spirit.—
Luann Gibbs,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
-
Vendors will offer beads, minerals, gemstones, custom jewelry, fossils, artifacts, and metaphysical stones.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
For more than a decade, Bea Interiors Design has offered a full range of services including conceptual design, custom furniture and finishes, project coordination, art procurement and installation, and lighting and furniture design.—
Dan Howarth,
Architectural Digest,
7 July 2025
-
But officials have shelved early, more ambitious conceptual features, partly because of environmental limitations.—
John Tuohy,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
On the right ear cup, abstract linework inspired by audio waveforms flows across the surface.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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Scott’s abstract painting also speaks to legacy and the spirit of New Orleans.—
Essence,
Essence,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Much of intellectual history is a recombination of prior thought in new contexts.—
Chris Reed,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 July 2025
-
Raimondi hauls in some sociology professors at the end of his book, for intellectual heft, but his case is already made: The ones least caught out by the rise of Donald Trump were the real wrestling fans.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
6 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ideational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ideational. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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