symbolist
LowAcademic/Literary/Art Historical
Definition
Meaning
A person who uses symbols or symbolism, especially in art or literature.
A practitioner or adherent of Symbolism, a late 19th-century artistic movement that rejected realism in favour of expressing ideas and emotions through symbols and suggestive imagery.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily used as a proper noun to refer to members of the Symbolist movement. Can be used more generically but is often capitalized in that specific historical context.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling or usage differences.
Connotations
Equally associated with European art history in both regions.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in both varieties, confined to art, literature, and cultural criticism.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Symbolist + NOUN (poet/painter/movement)be + a + Symbolistthe + Symbolists + VERBVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Common in art history, literature, and cultural studies to discuss the late 19th-century movement.
Everyday
Rare, only in discussions of art or poetry.
Technical
Specific term in literary criticism and art history.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- The Tate exhibition focuses on the British Symbolists and their European influences.
- He is considered a leading Symbolist of his generation.
American English
- The Museum of Modern Art acquired a major painting by a French Symbolist.
- Her poetry is clearly in the Symbolist tradition.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- This painter is a Symbolist.
- Symbolist artists used many flowers and stars in their paintings.
- The Symbolist movement rejected straightforward realism in favour of mysterious and dreamlike imagery.
- Mallarmé's dense, allusive poetry epitomises the Symbolist aesthetic, which sought to evoke rather than describe.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'SYMBOL-IST' - an IST (practitioner) who uses SYMBOLs.
Conceptual Metaphor
ART IS A SECRET LANGUAGE (Symbolists treated art as a coded system of symbols).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'символист' (which is a direct cognate and correct). The trap is over-extending it to mean any user of symbols (like a traffic sign designer). In English, it is heavily tied to the specific historical movement.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrectly using lowercase for the historical movement (e.g., 'a symbolist' vs. 'a Symbolist').
- Using it as a general synonym for 'someone who symbolizes' instead of its art-historical meaning.
Practice
Quiz
In which field is the term 'Symbolist' most precisely and commonly used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
When referring specifically to the historical movement or its adherents (e.g., 'a French Symbolist poet'), it is often capitalized. In a more generic sense (e.g., 'a writer who is a symbolist'), lowercase is acceptable.
An allegorist uses a sustained, systematic metaphor where elements correspond directly to other ideas (e.g., 'Everyman'). A Symbolist uses symbols more intuitively and suggestively, often with multiple or ambiguous meanings, to evoke mood and sensation.
Yes, 'symbolist' can function as an adjective (e.g., 'symbolist poetry', 'symbolist aesthetics'). It is more common in this adjectival form than seeing 'symbolistic'.
In poetry: Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud. In painting: Gustave Moreau, Odilon Redon. In drama: Maurice Maeterlinck.