catachrestic

adjective

variants or catachrestical
Definition of catachresticnext
as in symbolic

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catachrestic
  1. symbolic
  2. emblematic
  3. allegorical
Adjective
  • Nominal damages are a small symbolic sum of money awarded when a legal right is violated.
    — Jack Harvel August 26, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Cadet will work with architect Rodney Leon, who is also of Haitian descent, and who will advise on the interpretive writing and symbolic elements of the statue and its lighting and siting.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of symbolic
Adjective
  • Collin tries to turn him into an emblematic twentieth-century figure, an absurd hero out of, say, Camus, who can find himself (and also lose himself) only through selfless service.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Marshall’s detractors say the Florida property is emblematic of a lawmaker who is out of touch with his constituents.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of emblematic
Adjective
  • The half-dozen allegorical sculptures gathered in the new museum—The Lions, Liberty, Progress, Work, Peace, and Justice—were commissioned for Buenos Aires’s Palace of the Argentine National Congress in 1906.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Depicting the rise and spectacular fall of an Anglo- and Euro-centric civilization, the series was originally presented as an allegorical warning about imperial expansion to the then-young nation.
    — Cat Dawson, ARTnews.com, 3 July 2026
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.

Browse Nearby Words

catachresis
catachrestic
cataclysm
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Catachrestic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catachrestic. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

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 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?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All