totemic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For his followers, Nemtsov is a totemic figure in Russian political life -- seen as a once-future leader who might have taken the country on a different path.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

He didn’t have the totemic, darkly glamorous style of Robert Mapplethorpe but one more intimate, more dependent on human connection and contingency, even as he remained meticulous in his pursuit of the perfect shot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

The Sycamore Gap wasn't a particularly ancient tree, nor a native species, but its position gave it a totemic status.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025

High-rise New York apartments have acquired totemic significance for the superrich.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2025

Aureliano Segundo was the unconquered eater until the luckless Saturday when Camila Sagastume appeared, a totemic female known all through the land by the good name of “The Elephant.”

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez