symbolic gesture

noun

: an act that has no purpose or effect other than to show support, respect, etc.
The president's visit was mainly a symbolic gesture.

Examples of symbolic gesture in a Sentence

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Mexico has yet to formally respond to the decision, though experts predict tensions could rise over the symbolic gesture. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Feb. 2025 Here’s a symbolic gesture that deeply touched me, a heartening drama on a darkening stage: the wooden Nativity scene unveiled at the Vatican earlier this month, created by Palestinian artists from Dar al-Kalima University, in Bethlehem. Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2024 The McKinley name stuck until 2015, when President Obama’s administration changed it to Denali as a symbolic gesture to Alaska Natives on the eve of his Alaska visit to highlight climate change. Mark Thiessen, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025 The McKinley name stuck until 2015, when President Barack Obama’s administration changed it to Denali as a symbolic gesture to Alaska Natives on the eve of his Alaska visit to highlight climate change. Mark Thiessen, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for symbolic gesture 

Dictionary Entries Near symbolic gesture

Cite this Entry

“Symbolic gesture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symbolic%20gesture. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

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