Meaning & use
symposium
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Meanings
nouncountable
a formal meeting where experts give short talks and discuss a particular subject
Grammar: Countable: a symposium, two symposia. Often followed by 'on' plus the topic.
Patterns
- a symposium on something
- hold a symposium
- attend a symposium
The university held a symposium on climate change last week.
She presented her research at an international symposium in Berlin.
The symposium brought together doctors from several countries.
nouncountableformal
a collection of written articles on one subject, published together
Grammar: This academic sense is less common; it usually appears in titles like 'A Symposium on Plato'.
Patterns
- a symposium on something
The journal published a symposium on modern poetry.
His article appeared in a symposium about ancient philosophy.
Word forms
| plural | symposia |
|---|---|
| plural | symposiums |
Common combinations
- hold a symposium
- The department will hold a symposium on language learning.
- attend a symposium
- Over 200 people attended the symposium.
- a symposium on something
- They organized a symposium on renewable energy.
- an annual symposium
- The annual symposium takes place in June.
Synonyms and how they differ
- conference
- A conference is usually larger and longer, with many sessions; a symposium is smaller and focused on one theme.
- seminar
- A seminar is often a teaching or training session for a small group, while a symposium is a formal meeting of experts.
- colloquium
- A colloquium is similar but often more informal and held regularly at a university.
Word family
- symposiast noun
- A person who takes part in a symposium; rare and formal.
Commonly confused: symposium or sympathy?
symposium vs sympathy
Sympathy means sharing someone's feelings, especially sadness; symposium is a meeting. They sound a little similar at the start.
Practice
Choose the best completion: The university held a symposium ___ artificial intelligence.
Choose one answer.
A symposium is held 'on' a subject. 'For' would suggest the purpose, 'at' a place, and 'with' a companion, so none fits the topic.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “symposium”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.