IDEATIONAL Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

ideational

adjective

ˌī-dē-ˈā-sh(ə-)nəl

Definition of ideational

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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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.

Recent Examples of ideational The pact was a disaster for the Popular Front, but the severing of the ideational link between Communism and antifascism probably helped the antifascist cause at home. — Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 Constructivists’ major argument is that world politics is as much ideational as material and that relations among states depend on norms as much as on military or economic power. — Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 31 Oct. 2025 These ideational shifts, influenced by both global narratives and local aspirations, are increasingly shaping how Indians approach relationships. — Anuradha Gupta, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ideational

Adjective

The measurements showed relatively strong emission from the single crystal, consistent with theoretical predictions.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
Planning for a theoretical catastrophe can lead clients in unexpected directions.

— Megan Buerger, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of theoretical

Adjective

The best moments on records like Redemption, Blackheart, and Second Line use her knack for grand, metaphysical metaphors to charge her singing with epic stakes.

— Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
Our work re-imagines these ancient tombs as theatrical spaces, built to perpetuate a form of metaphysical human experience.

— Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of metaphysical

Adjective

Then there’s the new electric Jaguar, a machine that inflamed the Internet and became the subject of global controversy when its conceptual precursor was revealed in late 2024.

— Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026
In the process, American comedy went from being a writer’s medium, conceptual and self-aware, to a more tonal form that rewarded actors’ screen presence and sense of timing.

— Dan Brooks, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of conceptual

Adjective

An abstract painting by Walker features in Kindred’s show, signalled by the artist’s former profession as a trainee dancer at the Royal Ballet School.

— Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Newspapers and books also joined the dots between apparently disconnected events and items of gossip, helping readers to see their problems in abstract, systemic and political terms.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of abstract

Adjective

Women naturally store less creatine than men, and during perimenopause and menopause, declining estrogen can take a toll on both muscle health and mental clarity.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 15 Oct. 2026
Steeped in therapy culture and financial literacy content, young Americans are fluent in boundary-setting and open to frank conversations about money and mental load.

— Grace Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of mental

Adjective

Plath is shown not as a passive victim of despair, but as a brilliant intellectual and visionary poet.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 16 Oct. 2026
In the process, Hall, Woodford, and other scholars helped breathe new life into the ideas of economics giant John Maynard Keynes, whose intellectual legacy, for a time, seemed in danger of melting away.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of intellectual

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ideation

ideational

idée fixe

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“Ideational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ideational. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ideational

adjective

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