Definition of CONCEPTUAL

The plans have both conceptual and practical difficulties. conceptual thinking is often the most demanding kind of mental activity

Recent Examples on the Web

Elsewhere, beauty this week was equal parts femme and freaky: nail art was sculptural, flipped and reversed, hair was piled high to make a poncy French monarch proud, and conceptual makeup took inspo from nature’s most ornate creatures. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2025 There is a certain conceptual power in this, as though Shahverdi were shaping the filmmaking itself, though this approach has its limits. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 29 Jan. 2025 Featured here will be new work by Knight, a legendary conceptual artist; a new choreography by Rawls; and a stage play by Weinraub produced in collaboration with New Theater Hollywood. —Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 28 Jan. 2025 Charlie Shackleton’s sly film Zodiac Killer Project lives inside this conceptual limbo — nebulously sinister and dryly hilarious all at once. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for conceptual 

Etymology

Medieval Latin conceptualis of thought, from Late Latin conceptus act of conceiving, thought, from Latin concipere — see concept entry 1

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of conceptual was in 1825