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

Two years later, that number has more than doubled, with more than 150 Latin music acts featured at the iconic festival, now in its 40th year. —Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026

Many of the rooms offer views of the surrounding city skyline or the iconic mountains of Monterrey. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Mar. 2026

The Coach Tabby bag is as iconic as the It girls who wear it, like Bella Hadid and Jennifer Lopez. —Olivia Cigliano, InStyle, 12 Mar. 2026

Thanks to Downton, even the silhouette of Highclere Castle has become iconic. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 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