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

Likely one of the most iconic lines from the series, often said as a voiceover by Stirling, this line lets the audience know when new contestants are arriving at the villa to shake things up. —Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 29 May 2026

The singer has voiced several other iconic characters, including Simba in Disney’s 2019 live-action Lion King movie and Yoshi in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which premiered in April 2026. —Joyann Jeffrey, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026

Caesars became an iconic name after the opening of Caesar’s Palace on the Las Vegas Strip in 1966. —Jessica Hill, Fortune, 29 May 2026

Outdoor enthusiasts along the iconic trail aren’t the only ones suffering. —NBC news, 29 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