iconic

adjective

icon·​ic ī-ˈkä-nik 

1

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

2

a

: widely recognized and well-established

an iconic brand name

b

: 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

Too dependent on one style Nike bought Converse for $305 million in 2003, seeing enormous potential to rehabilitate an iconic brand. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

The designs feature symbols familiar to Marylanders and racing fans, including the state's iconic flag, Pimlico's weathervane and cupola, and the black-eyed Susan flower. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

By 1912, this was an everything shop, selling second-hand, new and antiquarian books from its iconic location at 121 Charing Cross Road, and extending in the 1920s to gramophone records. — Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

Shoppers vied to get their hands on the iconic brand’s heritage denim, button-downs, khakis, and hoodies, all reworked with the sharp tailoring and sleek silhouettes Beckham is known for. — Angela Tafoya, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026

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

Rhymes for iconic

• atonic
• benthonic
• bionic
• bosonic
• bubonic
• canonic
• carbonic
• cyclonic
• demonic
• dystonic
• hadronic
• harmonic