totemic
adjective
to·tem·ic tō-ˈte-mik 
1
: of, relating to, suggestive of, or characteristic of a totem or totemism
a totemic animal
2
: based on or practicing totemism
totemic clan structure
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web This protective structure bears stylized images of bodies, not to mention plenty of cats, and is surrounded by ceramic hybrid animal-human figures that function like totemic protectors. 
Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2022 United is England’d most storied side, having scooped up 20 league titles, one more than archrival Liverpool—13 of which were won under its totemic former manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2022 The work was grotesquely beautiful and perversely hopeful—a startling melding of cyberpunk and craft influences that felt at once precarious and totemic. Sean Santiago, ELLE Decor, 26 May 2022 And there is the Instagram phenomenon of certain white ones taking on the totemic allure of the Parthenon. Julie Lasky, ELLE Decor, 27 Apr. 2022 Finally, as is fitting for a totemic figure in the world of entertainment whose blockbusters continue to captivate millions to this day, the family signed off on a note of optimism. Vogue, 30 Mar. 2022 The last few years have not been easy for the totemic figures of American history, caught in the crossfire of our culture wars. Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2022 More than any other school of training, Westside became totemic within the lifting world, emblematic of a culture that was cruder than the one inspired by Schwarzenegger and the other golden bodies molded in Venice Beach. Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2022 Two monumental sculptures developed for the plaza — a striding man and a totemic woman — conclude the exhibition with a bang. Steven Litt, cleveland, 20 Mar. 2022 See More
Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2022 United is England’d most storied side, having scooped up 20 league titles, one more than archrival Liverpool—13 of which were won under its totemic former manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2022 The work was grotesquely beautiful and perversely hopeful—a startling melding of cyberpunk and craft influences that felt at once precarious and totemic. Sean Santiago, ELLE Decor, 26 May 2022 And there is the Instagram phenomenon of certain white ones taking on the totemic allure of the Parthenon. Julie Lasky, ELLE Decor, 27 Apr. 2022 Finally, as is fitting for a totemic figure in the world of entertainment whose blockbusters continue to captivate millions to this day, the family signed off on a note of optimism. Vogue, 30 Mar. 2022 The last few years have not been easy for the totemic figures of American history, caught in the crossfire of our culture wars. Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2022 More than any other school of training, Westside became totemic within the lifting world, emblematic of a culture that was cruder than the one inspired by Schwarzenegger and the other golden bodies molded in Venice Beach. Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2022 Two monumental sculptures developed for the plaza — a striding man and a totemic woman — conclude the exhibition with a bang. Steven Litt, cleveland, 20 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1