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

Starr's business partner Keith McNally — known for iconic eateries like Balthazar and social media spats with celebrities like James Corden — established his brand for years before the duo partnered up. —Hadley Hitson, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025

During a preview cruise in mid-August, a full-size version of the iconic car appeared to twist, turn and speed along, transporting Marty McFly from 1985 to 1955 — without ever leaving the ship’s Royal Theater — thanks to some dazzling special effects. —Nathan Diller, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025

Fedorov's will be the ninth Red Wings jersey hanging at Little Caesars Arena, joining the inner circle of Detroit hockey legends that have made the Red Wings into one of North America's iconic franchises. —Christian Romo, Freep.com, 20 Aug. 2025

In a competitive situation, Working Title Television has landed the rights to develop and produce a television series about iconic American artist Keith Haring based on Brad Gooch’s biography Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2025

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