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

Decked out in matching Route 66 button-up shirts that featured a map of the iconic road, the married couple set out on a road trip to celebrate the centennial. —Audrey Pachuta, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026

And for even the most casual fashion fan, this comeback felt highly relatable — after all, who didn’t own something with that iconic pony logo at some point in their life? —Diana Tsui, Footwear News, 1 May 2026

His grandfather’s illustrations of Indian history and culture adorn India’s constitution; the iconic four-lion emblem that is the government’s official letterhead and is found on the cover of each Indian passport was designed by one of his students under his supervision. —Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 1 May 2026

By chance, 2026 also happened to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Neil Diamond’s Love at the Greek concert album at Southern California’s iconic music venue, the Greek Theater. —Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 1 May 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