catachrestic

adjective

variants or catachrestical
Definition of catachresticnext
as in symbolic

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catachrestic
  1. symbolic
  2. emblematic
  3. allegorical
Adjective
  • The manger scene with Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus in a stable very vividly dramatizes the spirit of Christmas, a symbolic message about power — that by entering the world in a humble form, God recognizes the dignity of the humblest and those who do not share in worldly wealth and power.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 10 Dec. 2024
  • The question of returning is also symbolic, a test of the Zionist ethos of defending borders through settlement.
    Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of symbolic
Adjective
  • The confusion was emblematic of a larger defensive issue.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 Dec. 2024
  • Some emblematic problems, Fox told me, included clinics or labs relying on pen-and-paper labeling systems and faulty screening measures; Wolf cited a failure of clinic employees to respond to alarms on the freezers that store embryos.
    Julia Whelan Krish Seenivasan Lance Neal, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
Definition of emblematic
Adjective
  • This piece is almost allegorical—the opposite of online culture.
    Lisa Chase, Outside Online, 29 Nov. 2024
  • Inspired by a visit to Italy’s Giotto Chapel and the allegorical themes of Prudentius’s Psychomachia, Lee’s works reflect on virtues, vices, and raw emotions.
    Erica Wertheim Zohar, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Definition of allegorical
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near catachrestic

catachresis

catachrestic

cataclysm

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Catachrestic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catachrestic. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

More Words with Remarkable Origins

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
confused man standing between two doors
One Word or Two? Take the Quiz! Some words just need a little space.