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 The movie was shot at the historic Pinewood Studios outside London and on location in the UK where a power station doubled for the planet Corellia, home of Han Solo's iconic space ship the Millennium Falcon. —

Caroline Reid, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024 Heidi Klum as Betty Boop in 2002 Klum traded in her signature blond locks in favor of Betty Boop's iconic black curls in 2002. —

Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2024 Mel Brooks, who directed Teri Garr in the iconic 1974 comedy Young Frankenstein, remembered the actor upon her death Tuesday, recalling Garr’s talent and spirit. —

Greg Evans, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2024 The song is paired with a new image of Kamala Harris created by artist Shepard Fairey, who created the iconic Hope artwork for Obama in 2008. —

Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for iconic

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'iconic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

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