iconic

adjective

icon·ic ī-ˈkä-nik

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an icon

: widely recognized and well-established

an iconic brand name

: widely known and acknowledged especially for distinctive excellence

an iconic writer

a region's iconic wines

iconically

ī-ˈkä-ni-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Did you know?

The original meaning of iconic was essentially "resembling an icon," but today it often describes what is so admired that it could be the subject of an icon. And with that use, iconic has become part of the language of advertising and publicity: companies and magazines and TV hosts encourage us to think of some consumer item or pop star or show as first-rate or immortal or flawless—absolutely "iconic"—when that person or thing is actually simply widely known and—they assert—distinctively excellent.

Examples of iconic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Spike is a pioneering director whose iconic work has made a lasting impact on both film as a medium and culture at large. —

Max Goldbart, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2024 Licensed Products: The Magic of Nostalgia Meets Fun Peter Alexander has built a reputation for its licensed collaborations, offering sleepwear and loungewear that brings iconic franchises to life. —

Kate Hardcastle, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024 All this and more on today’s CNN 10! Weekly News Quiz The SS United, an iconic American ocean liner, will soon transform into what kind of complex ecosystem? —

CNN, 21 Nov. 2024 The show is curated by Asia Hamilton and Laura Earle, and reimagines the iconic 1972 feminist project Woman House, led by Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro. —

Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for iconic

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin īconicus "of a likeness or image," borrowed from Greek eikonikós "(of a statue) in the likeness (of someone)" (Late Greek, "pertaining to or employing images, representative, symbolic"), from eikon-, eikṓn "image, likeness" + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at icon

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of iconic was in 1656

See more words from the same year