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Glite Dictionary
to emblematize

to emblematize

8.9
To show an idea using a symbol or picture
  • verb
  • /ˈɛmbləˌmaɪz/
translation icon : emblematizar
  • The dove is often used to emblematize peace in various cultures.

Examples

  • For Gallegos, education emblematizes the process of civilization and implies the transformation of human behavior.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The establishment of a cohesive sense of nationhood, emblematized in the visual arts, acted as a distraction from the messy process of building a nation out of a state.

    Academic text (2002)

  • That's an image of what the modern promises for Crane, and indeed those Gothic arches of the bridge seem to emblematize for him.

  • The narrator's description of his visit to Somerleyton Hall emblematizes this process.

    Academic text (2016)

  • Indeed, the conqueror's decision emblematizes the symbiosis between poet and soldier in the ancient world.

    Academic text (2002)

  • I further argue that by manifesting those links within ongoing post-bellum Southern life, the War Memorials emblematize a still functioning national syncretism.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Bloom argues that the image of the transparent eyeball emblematizes Emerson's attempt to avoid influence by returning to the primal waters, the void of Genesis, before God created the earth.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The globe that glows in Wonderland emblematizes the geographical imperative of Winterbottom's cinema, its sustained attempt to grasp the interconnection of spaces now.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Although the Big Three apparel producers cater to all sections of the U.S. market, they have a comparative advantage at the upper levels of the intermediate market, emblematized by well-made "private-label" or store-brand collections.

    Academic text (1998)

  • In her artwork, she uses the rose to emblematize love and beauty.

Synonyms

to represent
vsto emblematize
395 3.4

Be a symbol of something, for example a dove for peace

is narrower stressing emblematic or designed symbolic representation
to symbolize
vsto emblematize
  • US
104 4.2

To show an idea or feeling with an image

emphasizes emblems or designed symbols rather than general images
to emblemize
vsto emblematize
8.1

To stand for an idea using a picture or sign

focuses specifically on using emblem or symbolic designs rather than any sign

Antonyms

to conceal
282 3.7

To hide something so others cannot see or find it

How Symbolic

to epitomize
22 7.3
to emblematize
8.9
to symbolize
  • US
104 4.2
to denote
27 4.4
to represent
126 2.6

Surface Forms

emblematize infinitive
emblematized past
emblematized past participle
emblematizing present participle
emblematizes third person singular

Morphology

emblematize = emblem (semi-transparent) = emblem + atize

The word is built from the recognizable noun 'emblem' plus a learned verb-forming suffix, but the resulting meaning 'symbolize' is somewhat specialized.

Etymology

Emblematize comes from emblem, a word for a picture or sign that stands for an idea, and emblem comes from an old Greek word emblema meaning 'something put in' or 'inserted'. So, to emblematize is to mark or represent something with a clear symbol or emblem.