Home › Words › S › symbolismsymbolism/ˈsɪmbəˌlɪzəm/symbolism means representation of a concept through symbols or underlying meanings of objects or qualities.Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, symbolism ranks #3,411 of 42,747 for Qualifying.symbolism is pronounced /ˈsɪmbəˌlɪzəm/.EtymologyFrom symbol + -ism, sense 2 being a semantic loan from French symbolisme.nounRepresentation of a concept through symbols or underlying meanings of objects or qualities.e.g.“The undeveloped or mysterically confused thought which exists in savages is fully exemplified in the childish or crazy atavistic anthropomorphism and symbolism so prevalent among degenerates.” — 1911 May, “Insanity and the Art of the Borderland”, in The International Studio, volume 32, number 171, page 32:An art movement originating in late 19th-century France and Belgium, seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realism.A combining together of parts or ingredients.Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).