symbolic: Meaning and Definition of

sym•bol•ic

1. serving as a symbol of something (often fol. by of&hasp;).
2. of, pertaining to, or expressed by a symbol.
3. characterized by or involving the use of symbols: a highly symbolic poem.
4. (in semantics, esp. formerly) pertaining to a class of words that express only relations. Cf.(def. 7).
5. expressed in characters, usually nonnumeric, that require translation before they can be used (opposed to absolute).