symbolist
symbolist — adjective
- symbolistpositive
- more symbolistcomparative
- most symbolistsuperlative
1. describing art, poetry, or drama that belongs to the Symbolist tradition — a lat
describing art, poetry, or drama that belongs to the Symbolist tradition — a late-1800s European movement whose members expressed inner worlds through symbolic images and dream-like scenes rather than through realistic portrayal
The National Gallery's Symbolist collection includes works by Redon and Moreau.
attributive: Symbolist + noun (collection, poetry, art)
Beatrix wrote her university thesis on French Symbolist poetry and its dream-like imagery.
Asher compared the Symbolist use of mythological figures to earlier medieval allegory.
The exhibition catalogue shows how Symbolist artists used colour to suggest emotions rather than objects.
Elena found the Symbolist emphasis on mystery more powerful than realistic storytelling.
- symboliste
French borrowing used in English art criticism for the same movement, often italicised
- symbolic
overlapping in meaning but broader — 'symbolic' describes any use of symbols, not a specific movement
- realist
the Symbolist movement defined itself in opposition to 19th-century realism
- naturalist
naturalism focused on scientific observation of reality, opposite to Symbolist idealism
文法句型
Symbolist + noun
be + Symbolist in [style/approach]
用法筆記
Frequently capitalized when referring specifically to the historical Symbolist movement (c. 1880–1900). Lowercase for general use of symbols may be confused with 'symbolic' — distinguish by historical context.
常見錯誤
symbolist — noun
- symbolistsingular
- symbolistsplural
1. a painter, poet, or writer who belonged to the European Symbolist movement that
a painter, poet, or writer who belonged to the European Symbolist movement that flourished between 1880 and 1900, using symbols and mythology to explore inner emotional life rather than to depict observable reality
Baudelaire is often called a major Symbolist whose poems shaped later European literature.
countable: a + Symbolist
Hugo's painting style changed after he began meeting with other Symbolists in Paris.
The museum is hosting an exhibition of works by leading Symbolists from 1880 to 1900.
Nadia discovered that several important Symbolists had been overlooked by art historians until recently.
The young painter described himself in his letters as a committed Symbolist who rejected realism.
- symboliste
the original French label for the same group, sometimes used in English to signal closer ties to the French movement
- member of the Symbolist school
more formal and descriptive alternative, less common in general writing
- realist
artists of the realist movement who depicted everyday life as it appeared
- impressionist
the Symbolist movement partly reacted against Impressionism's focus on visual sensation
文法句型
a + Symbolist
the + Symbolists
Symbolist + of [period/place]
用法筆記
When capitalized, refers specifically to a member of the historical Symbolist movement. Lowercase symbolist may mean any user of symbols in a general sense, but this broader use is rare in academic writing.