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

The speech is a top tier example of Streep’s class and humor; just another reason to love the iconic actress. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026

Camp Nou last staged the Champions League final in 1999, hosting Manchester United’s iconic late comeback against Bayern Munich. — Pol Ballús, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Bob Mackie, the iconic costume designer who dressed stars including Cher and Beyoncé, has died at 87. — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

The name traces back to Mary Jane, a fictional character in Richard Felton Outcault’s Buster Brown comic strip which debuted in 1902, who often appeared wearing the now iconic shoe style. — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Sep. 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