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

Stanley Zabar, one of the owners of New York City's iconic Zabar's, died Monday at age 94. — CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026

On a larger scale, Mondaine makes an iconic wall clock ($345) using a design developed for the Swiss Railways. — Nicholas Blechman, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2026

As iconic Austin trumpeter Ephraim Owens and composer Sam Lipman undertake an ambitious collaboration uniting Ephraim’s jazz style with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, a health challenge requires them to confront new realities and limits. — Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2026

Less than three months later, Aaron Boone would hit his iconic walk-off home run in Game 7 of the ALCS. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 10 Nov. 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