iconicity

noun

ico·​nic·​i·​ty ˌī-kə-ˈni-sə-tē How to pronounce iconicity (audio)
: correspondence between form and meaning
the iconicity of the Roman numeral III

Examples of iconicity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Hieroglyphs provide a nuance of iconicity that is lost in modern translations. Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Oct. 2023 Writers such as Charles Dickens knew the value of iconicity in character names to emphasize their personalities. David Adam, Discover Magazine, 16 May 2021 Pinker and others argue that iconicity is rare in language, but plenty of psychologists and linguists disagree. David Adam, Discover Magazine, 16 May 2021 The gang dives into the injustices of the legal system, the horrid conditions of U.S. prisons, and everything from marijuana legalization to the iconicity of New York summers to Rihanna. Marjua Estevez, refinery29.com, 26 July 2022 It’s not just Cristovam’s bull mask (which conjures so much culture and history in its iconicity). Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 7 Sep. 2021 Perhaps that’s because, as Carina tells it, the song is a celebration and elegy at once, trying to pin down the beat of a city that is constantly in flux but possesses an indelible iconicity. Nate Sloan, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2021 Cristina’s flights of fancy, her campy attitude, and her penchant for exaggeration remain central to her iconicity. Manuel Betancourt, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2021 All this art, like an NFT, removes the iconicity of touch, tactility, familiar expressiveness. Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2021

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

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of iconicity was in 1946

Dictionary Entries Near iconicity

Cite this Entry

“Iconicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iconicity. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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