insignia

noun in·sig·nia \ in-ˈsig-nē-ə \

variants: or less commonly insigne play \in-ˈsig-(ˌ)nē\

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Examples: insignia in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of insignia

plural insignia or insignias

1 : a badge of authority or honor

2 : a distinguishing mark or sign

See insignia defined for English-language learners

See insignia defined for kids

Examples of insignia in a Sentence

Their jackets have the school's insignia on the front.

Recent Examples of insignia from the Web

Peterson had met with Cruz in the fall of 2016 and warned him against carrying a backpack decorated with Nazi insignia and racial slurs.

— eli saslow, Sun-Sentinel.com, "‘It was my job, and I didn’t find him’: Parkland resource officer Scot Peterson remains haunted by massacre," 4 June 2018
Peterson had met with Cruz in the fall of 2016 and warned him against carrying a backpack decorated with Nazi insignia and racial slurs.

— eli saslow, kansascity, "Stoneman Douglas resource officer, called ‘coward’ and ‘blight,’ haunted by massacre," 4 June 2018
Peterson had met with Cruz in the fall of 2016 and warned him against carrying a backpack decorated with Nazi insignia and racial slurs.

— author: eli saslow, Anchorage Daily News, "‘It was my job, and I didn’t find him’: Stoneman Douglas resource officer remains haunted by massacre," 4 June 2018
They were greeted with scores of television cameras perched by the looming gray doors — which still bear the hammer and sickle insignia of the Soviet Union — that lead into the halls of the Stalinist skyscraper the Foreign Ministry calls home.

— matthew bodner, BostonGlobe.com, "Russia tells string of European envoys of latest expulsions," 30 Mar. 2018
Note 4 Japanese kills & squadron's Felix the Cat insignia.

— douglas perry, OregonLive.com, "Paul Allen search team finds USS Lexington, aircraft carrier lost during WWII's Battle of the Coral Sea," 6 Mar. 2018
That was when one of the brothers noticed something strange: One soldier's rank insignia was upside down.

— mac william bishop, NBC News, "North Korean ex-assassin recalls 1968: ‘The year that mattered most’," 26 Jan. 2018
The Duchess of Sussex also received another special insignia.

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "How Meghan Markle's Coat of Arms Compares to the Middletons'," 25 May 2018
The information from the Kelly family included copies of eyewitness reports from others in the same bomber group — the famed Jolly Rogers, known for their skull-and-crossbones insignia on the tails of the aircraft.

— tom avril, Philly.com, "World War II B-24 bomber found in South Pacific, 7 decades later," 25 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'insignia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Insignia are the official signs of rank, titles, or awards. Medals are an example, as are the crowns of monarchs. The Catholic church employs such insignia as the red robes of cardinals. U.S. presidents have the presidential seal, which appears on the stand when they're giving a speech. But most of us think first of the bars, stripes, badges, and patches of military rank.