token gesture

Frequency: 6.75.9 per million words

a small action done as a symbol of something larger, like respect or apology

gestureADJECTIVE + NOUN

Categories:

token

Examples (10)

  • It was a token gesture of their good intentions.
  • The CEO’s apology felt like a token gesture after months of silence.
  • Donating one laptop to the school was dismissed as a token gesture rather than real support.
  • Was the scholarship merely a token gesture, or did it lead to lasting change?
  • We need substantive reform, not just a token gesture before the election.
  • The committee made a token gesture by waiving the fee for a single day.
  • Her flowers were a token gesture to acknowledge the team’s hard work.
  • The new policy was criticized as a token gesture that failed to address the root problem.
  • If this is only a token gesture, the community will not be satisfied.
  • What looked like a token gesture at first eventually sparked broader change.