iconic

adjective icon·ic \ ī-ˈkä-nik \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of iconic

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

play \ī-ˈkä-ni-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Recent Examples of iconic from the Web

The case is part of a recent wave of trials over allegations the company sold talc in its iconic white Johnson’s Baby Powder bottles knowing it was tainted with asbestos and failed to warn consumers to protect the brand.

— jef feeley, Bloomberg.com, "J&J Faces High-Stakes Trial Over 22 Women's Talc Claims," 6 June 2018
When outside the fairgrounds, check out King's Highway Diner (formerly a Denny's) at the Ace for breakfast and Pioneertown's iconic Pappy & Harriet's for dinner and a show.

— taysha murtaugh, Country Living, "Everything You Need to Know Before Attending a Country Music Festival," 1 June 2018
Finally, the time came to try Baekhyun’s most iconic makeup.

— devon abelman, Allure, "I Copied My Favorite K-Pop Star's Makeup for a Week — and It Was Exhausting," 29 May 2018
Production for Maleficent II has officially begun, and costars Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning are already giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming sequel to the revisionist spinoff about Sleeping Beauty's iconic villain.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning Just Teased Maleficent II with the Cutest Behind-the-Scenes Photos," 29 May 2018
Despite some worrying news from the Solo set, Alden Ehrenreich delivers an admirable depiction of Harrison Ford's iconic character.

— darren orf, Popular Mechanics, "'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Is Good, But It Could've Been Great," 29 May 2018
Her impact on motor racing will be argued long after the 102nd running of the iconic race, one of the biggest one-day sporting events in the world.

— james f. peltz, latimes.com, "Danica Patrick's final race at Indy 500 comes with a hotly debated legacy," 26 May 2018
On the eve of one major Star Wars film launch, fans learned that the Disney and Lucasfilm empire have yet another iconic-character project in the works: a Boba Fett film.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Boba Fett joins the insane pile of upcoming Star Wars film projects," 25 May 2018
When Bleacher Report posted a photo on Instagram about Wade wanting LeBron to sign a photo of their iconic pass and dunk in Miami, Chalmers chimed in on the comment section and took credit for the play.

— andrew joseph, For The Win, "Mario Chalmers got busted after taking credit for iconic Wade-LeBron play," 22 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'iconic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The original meaning of iconic was essentially "resembling an icon", but today it more often seems to mean "so admired that it could be the subject of an icon". And with that meaning, iconic has become part of the language of advertising and publicity; today companies and magazines and TV hosts are constantly encouraging us to think of some consumer item or pop star or show as first-rate or immortal or flawless—absolutely "iconic"—when he or she or it is actually nothing of the kind.