variants
also ikons
1
as in heroes
a person who is the object of extreme or uncritical devotion
Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and other icons of pop culture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in symbols
a written or printed mark that is meant to convey information to the reader
the player's remote control is very user-friendly as it doesn't use any icons that you haven't seen a million times before
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in manifestations
a visible representation of something abstract (as a quality)
cites Marlene Dietrich as an icon of old-time Hollywood glamour
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in celebrities
a person who is widely known and usually much talked about
a sports bar filled with photos of icons from football, basketball, and baseball
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in pictures
a two dimensional design intended to look like a person or thing
any icon of the Deity is regarded as blasphemous by adherents of that religion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Recent Examples of icons
Going forward, Osti believes there’s a lot more to explore beyond reworking house icons.
—
Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026
Whatever their fans imagined about the lives of these icons, these films may have broadened their — and our — horizons just a bit.
—John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 16 Feb. 2026
Share the results by clicking the Facebook or Twitter icons within the detail for a specific runner.
—AJC.com, 16 Feb. 2026
A week after reviving her Prince routine to honor fans during a meet at Minnesota, Chiles seamlessly transitioned back at Pauley Pavilion to her energetic routine set to a medley of hits by icons Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder and Tina Turner.
—Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Motorsports icons Cleetus McFarland and Travis Pastrana are here talking about their decisions to run in the #NASCAR Truck Series on Friday night in Daytona.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
Marc Anthony has long been courted for a Las Vegas residency, as much for his star power, as for his long history with the city and with the icons associated with it, including Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2026
Across the world’s six biomes, Roar league players are bona fide icons, selling out arenas and ducking the paparazzi.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
The month of February sets aside a time to honor America's Black history, from achievements in music and art to political and sports icons.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026
Whatever their fans imagined about the lives of these icons, these films may have broadened their — and our — horizons just a bit.
—John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 16 Feb. 2026
Share the results by clicking the Facebook or Twitter icons within the detail for a specific runner.
—AJC.com, 16 Feb. 2026
A week after reviving her Prince routine to honor fans during a meet at Minnesota, Chiles seamlessly transitioned back at Pauley Pavilion to her energetic routine set to a medley of hits by icons Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder and Tina Turner.
—Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Motorsports icons Cleetus McFarland and Travis Pastrana are here talking about their decisions to run in the #NASCAR Truck Series on Friday night in Daytona.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
Marc Anthony has long been courted for a Las Vegas residency, as much for his star power, as for his long history with the city and with the icons associated with it, including Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2026
Across the world’s six biomes, Roar league players are bona fide icons, selling out arenas and ducking the paparazzi.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
The month of February sets aside a time to honor America's Black history, from achievements in music and art to political and sports icons.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for icons
Noun
-
Hume became one of modern atheism’s great intellectual heroes by rejecting this idea.—
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Without giving anything away, the scale of the sequence in which the heroes finally confront the AI force that threatens to destroy them is massive, and lighting and planning shots for the enormous set — which had the largest LED installation ever built in South Africa — required 600 storyboards.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Plays cost from 50 cents to $30, with a goal of matching symbols on the wheel.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Bull and bear symbols for successful and bad trading are seen in front of the German stock exchange (Deutsche Boerse) in Frankfurt, Germany, February 12, 2019.—
Hugh Leask,Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There are about 10 million cystic-fibrosis carriers in the United States alone, so if even a fraction of them have some degree of symptoms, that amounts to many people with manifestations of the disease.—
Roxanne Khamsi,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
-
But on Monday, the French pharma firm reported that clinical trial results showed its experimental oral drug venglustat improved the neurological manifestations of what’s known as type 3 Gaucher disease, which can include poor muscle coordination and cognitive issues.—
Andrew Joseph,
STAT,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Michael Kors welcomed a packed front row of celebrities to the Metropolitan Opera House on Thursday evening for his fall 2026 show, which also happened to be his 45th anniversary.—
Leigh Nordstrom,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Over the past ten years, celebrities have gone from treating profiles as a necessary part of the job — grin and bear it, hold a puppy, say the least offensive things possible — to giving you absolutely nothing.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Since the end of his playing days, Griffey has embraced photography, taking pictures from the African savanna to the Masters Tournament in Georgia.—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Data centers — rooms or buildings full of computer servers — have been storing cellphone pictures, emails and social media accounts for years.—
Makenzie Huber,
States Newsroom,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
South Korea’s survival shows have been producing pop idols for decades, and several major groups — including TWICE, ZEROBASEONE, and Stray Kids — started on music reality series.—
Rebecca Cairns,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Our idols were allowed to either be good girls—militantly wholesome and seemingly virginal—or train wrecks, unmoored and wild, and thus subjected to a litany of bullying and ridicule for their actions.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The move adds to mounting regulatory pressure on X, which is also facing probes in France and the United Kingdom after thousands of sexualised deepfake images — mainly of women, but also children — were generated using Grok last month, prompting a global backlash.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The Cowboy Carter artist shared yet another set of images on Instagram from the 2026 Super Bowl, this time wearing a long brown coat with a matching hat and blue jeans.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
It is anticipated that this is how the final stars, or the last sustained sources of light and energy, will arise in the Universe.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Buyers are really looking for a big, broad comedy with stars.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Icons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icons. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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