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 avatars
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 depictions
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
Produced by Trent Willmon (Cody Johnson) and David Mescon (Dasha, Megan Moroney, the album’s latticework of fiddle, steel guitar and acoustic guitar nods to the influence of ‘90s and 2000s female country icons such as Shania Twain and Martina McBride.
—
Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2025
The Netflix series is based on the Danish format Det Sidste Ord (The Last Word), which offers final interviews where major cultural icons, whether from the world of the arts, sports, politics or elsewhere, can look back on their lives with only someone posing questions in front of them.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
The series marks the first mainstream platform uniting India’s entertainment icons with industry tycoons to spotlight fashion entrepreneurship.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
Born Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor in 1932 in London, England, to American parents, the actress is considered one of Hollywood's 20th century icons.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
These icons are displayed loudly in graphics splashed across the ball’s panel designs and are also more subtly embossed onto its matte base.
—Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Thanks to celebrity cosigns from style icons like Olivia Rodrigo and custom colorways designed with Free People, Frye boots are still very much in the conversation.
—Aemilia Madden, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2025
At the time, the committee had icons like Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland as participants.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2025
Even Survivor icons Boston Rob Mariano and Amber Mariano proved their reality TV dominance by trading tribal councils for taxis.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2025
The Netflix series is based on the Danish format Det Sidste Ord (The Last Word), which offers final interviews where major cultural icons, whether from the world of the arts, sports, politics or elsewhere, can look back on their lives with only someone posing questions in front of them.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
The series marks the first mainstream platform uniting India’s entertainment icons with industry tycoons to spotlight fashion entrepreneurship.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
Born Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor in 1932 in London, England, to American parents, the actress is considered one of Hollywood's 20th century icons.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
These icons are displayed loudly in graphics splashed across the ball’s panel designs and are also more subtly embossed onto its matte base.
—Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Thanks to celebrity cosigns from style icons like Olivia Rodrigo and custom colorways designed with Free People, Frye boots are still very much in the conversation.
—Aemilia Madden, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2025
At the time, the committee had icons like Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland as participants.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2025
Even Survivor icons Boston Rob Mariano and Amber Mariano proved their reality TV dominance by trading tribal councils for taxis.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for icons
Noun
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Twenty years later, Jim Montgomery, goalkeeper for Second Division underdogs Sunderland, would pull off an incredible double save to deny Leeds United in an upset so huge rival fans became even more desperate to see their own heroes do similar at the 100,000-capacity national stadium.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The heroes in a half shell are back — but this time, they’re stranded across the river.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Deer sometimes appear in the Hudson River School paintings as symbols of wilderness.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Oct. 2025
-
In some ways, that question is secondary to the fact that Lot 49 grapples with the nature of symbology itself, and the way that symbols work in literature, which contributed to the novella as good syllabus fodder.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Silently, Ed Gein — whose on-screen avatars have haunted American pop culture since his pattern of murder and grave-robbing became public in 1957 — does chores on the family farm.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
-
That means investing in technology—ABBA pulled in $2 million a week from a concert that featured their avatars—and the right partner.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Melillo toyed with the idea of working more heavily with celebrities, but decided someone doesn’t necessarily need to have their name in lights to have the kind of reach that will help spread the ATM word.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Goodall inspired and advised world leaders, celebrities, scientists and conservationists.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This article discusses Ed Gein’s crimes, as well as transphobic depictions of them on screen.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Many conservative critics appear to have homed in on its depictions of the latter with the most myopic lens possible.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Their characters range from alien birds discussing the optimal amount of stones in nests to Aztec warriors unaware of guns to bumbling, chess-playing professors.—
Book Marks
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Digging in deeper to the issue, Fleming said a major concern for Equity was the source of the original material used by the AI tool to create characters such as Tilly Norwood.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Of course, like many franchises (anime and otherwise) with different incarnations, there can be a bit of uncertainty about where — and when — to dive in.—
Chris Snellgrove,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Harem or balloon pants seen in recent collections are a sophisticated evolution from their original bohemian incarnations, featuring cleaner lines, refined fabrics and streamlined silhouettes.—
Renan Botelho,
Footwear News,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Some weeks, the stars align in all the right ways.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
6 Oct. 2025
-
In contrast with fans of other genres who expect stars to drop a thick new novel every half decade or so, romance readers expect their favorite authors to publish fast and frequently, and writers are typically happy to oblige.—
Rebecca Ackermann,
The Atlantic,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Icons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icons. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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