conceptual
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
relating to ideas or the way you think about something, rather than the physical thing itself.
pertaining to concepts or the formation of ideas; often used to describe the theoretical stage of a project.
Simple“The architect showed us a conceptual drawing of the building before the final plans were made.”
In context“Before moving to the engineering phase, the team spent months refining the conceptual framework of the new software architecture.”
UsageCommonly precedes nouns like 'framework', 'model', 'design', or 'stage'.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
a style of art where the idea behind the work is more important than the physical object.
relating to a movement in which the idea or concept involved in the work takes precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns.
Simple“Some people find conceptual art difficult to understand because there is no painting to look at.”
In context“The exhibition featured several pieces of conceptual art that challenged the audience to reconsider the definition of a sculpture.”
Teacher's tipIn an art context, this almost always refers to 'Conceptual Art', a specific movement from the mid-20th century.
“The Gold Album is similarly conceptual, this time the concept being the creation of an album the Weezer faithful will love.”
Borrowed from Medieval Latin conceptuālis, from Latin conceptus, perfect passive participle of concipiō (“take hold of; conceive”); see concept and -al.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.