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

Photograph by Rick Kern / Getty Robert Plant will be remembered by most as the enduring voice of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin, but in the twenty-first century his output has been shaped by smaller collaborations. —Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026

David Ashton's sketch of the iconic clock at Baltimore's Camden Yards. —Mary Eber, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026

The iconic Redbird — a name that applies to a paint scheme that’s adorned multiple classes of subway cars — began as an anti-graffiti effort in 1984. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026

Put on your cutest pink outfit and channel your inner child at this event that’s 100% dedicated to the iconic Mattel doll. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 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