schematic

/skɪˈmæɾɪk/

/skɪˈmætɪk/

Other forms: schematics

Use the adjective schematic to describe a drawing that's very simple and symbolic. That drawing your cousin made of a house with a pointy roof, smiling stick figures, and a round yellow sun? Very schematic.

The word schematic can apply to ideas as well as drawings. In this case, schematic describes an overly simple interpretation of something complex, like a work of literature or a detailed plan for social change. Think of it like the drawing of a boxy house and stick figures, only applied to ideas — it's an outline of something that may not capture all the important details.

Definitions of schematic

1. adjective

   represented in simplified or symbolic form
   synonyms: conventional, formal

   nonrepresentational

   of or relating to a style of art in which objects do not resemble those known in physical nature
2. noun

   diagram of an electrical or mechanical system
   synonyms: schematic drawing

   types:

   wiring diagram

   a schematic drawing of the wiring of an electrical system

   type of:

   diagram

   a drawing intended to explain how something works; a drawing showing the relation between the parts