ideographically
- adverb
- /ˌaɪdiəˈɡræfɪkli/
- Specialized
- Some languages record meaning ideographically instead of focusing on phonetic spelling.
Examples
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The ancient script was written ideographically rather than alphabetically.
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Don't write ideographically!
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Mathematical concepts are often communicated ideographically using universally recognized symbols.
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The ancient Egyptians wrote ideographically using hieroglyphs.
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The instructions were provided ideographically, using symbols to represent the essential steps.
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In the art class, we learned how to communicate ideographically with pictures instead of words.
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The mapping system displays information ideographically, allowing users to understand complex concepts at a glance.
Synonyms
In a way that shows an idea instead of saying it directly
Using pictures or symbols to show meaning
Surface Forms
Morphology
ideographically = ideographical (transparent) = ideo + graph + ic + al + ly
The adverb is the regular -ly form of the adjective 'ideographical', so the meaning is directly recoverable from the base.
Etymology
The word ideographically comes from ideo- meaning 'idea' and -graph meaning 'to write', as in photograph and autograph. So to do something ideographically is to show ideas with symbols or pictures, not to spell sounds with letters.