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
This year, the 25th installment that runs June 3-14 throughout New York City, boasts a tremendous music slate with icons including Madonna, Earth, Wind & Fire and Peter Frampton premiering music films.
—
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 3 June 2026
For Authentic, icons like Monroe, Presley and Ali are IP unicorns – the kind of celebrities that transcend borders and generations.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 1 June 2026
During the first stage of her career, Williams won 73 singles titles and picked up just under $95 million, a record that made her one of the biggest icons in the history of professional sport.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Set to the soundtrack of Marvin Gaye, this landmark presentation draws from the personal collection of musical and cultural icons Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean) and Alicia Keys.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Tubi's web interface is attractive, with a dark interface and large icons.
—Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026
That’s because the cover art, which Charli shared on Instagram, features three icons within their fields.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
But the Gen-X icons reportedly got along swimmingly and have long referred to each other as husband and wife because of their wedding scene.
—Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
The Music, Fashion, Film cover, shot by Aidan Zamiri, is a black-and-white shot of the three icons in a kitchen and marks Charli's second album to not feature herself on its main artwork after 2024's Brat.
—Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 3 June 2026
For Authentic, icons like Monroe, Presley and Ali are IP unicorns – the kind of celebrities that transcend borders and generations.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 1 June 2026
During the first stage of her career, Williams won 73 singles titles and picked up just under $95 million, a record that made her one of the biggest icons in the history of professional sport.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Set to the soundtrack of Marvin Gaye, this landmark presentation draws from the personal collection of musical and cultural icons Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean) and Alicia Keys.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Tubi's web interface is attractive, with a dark interface and large icons.
—Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026
That’s because the cover art, which Charli shared on Instagram, features three icons within their fields.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
But the Gen-X icons reportedly got along swimmingly and have long referred to each other as husband and wife because of their wedding scene.
—Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
The Music, Fashion, Film cover, shot by Aidan Zamiri, is a black-and-white shot of the three icons in a kitchen and marks Charli's second album to not feature herself on its main artwork after 2024's Brat.
—Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for icons
Noun
-
This new warfare has new heroes.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
They are considered heroes for interrupting the gunmen at the Islamic Center and are credited with likely saving the lives of schoolchildren and teachers.—
Roxana Popescu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Commercial country music, a format of songwriting that is at least somewhat reliant on wordplay and the constant re-arranging of a familiar set of symbols (trucks, mud, whiskey, and so forth), can be particularly susceptible to the accusations.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
30 May 2026
-
Armed with an adventure kit, participants are summoned to a secret location where they’re tasked with deciphering cryptic codes, uncovering hidden symbols, navigating shifting alliances and outwit enemies and operatives stationed around the campus.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, here are some other Bay Area manifestations of the Miles/Coltrane centennial.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
-
Murphy won't say, for fear of sharing her manifestations.—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Add our favorite white pants to your cart, then keep scrolling for more stylish picks inspired by celebrities.—
Mia Huelsbeck,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
-
People are fixating on celebrities of all kinds, accusing singers of body-positive anthems of being hypocritical, rolling their eyes at athletes promoting weight loss drugs and whispering about the thinness of their favorite movie stars.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
On a recent day, a stream of visitors, including school children, walked through the circular room, stopping to sit behind the desk and pose for pictures.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
-
On a recent day, a stream of visitors, including schoolchildren, walked through the circular room, stopping to sit behind the desk and pose for pictures.—
Sophia Tareen,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Baoase is also transporting, as any memorable hotel should be, with a strong Asian-esque design that includes ubiquitous Balinese Hindu statues, idols, and sculptures, and a reliance on simplicity over dazzle.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Are Henry James’s heroines, surely among the most extraordinary female characters in literary history, really one-dimensional idols?—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Müller joins their ranks with these affectionate images.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
Disney’s social media accounts did some further rib-nudging over the weekend with tweets paraphrasing Swift lyrics as captions for the billboard images, some of which featured the character Jessie.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
At the time, the former HSMTMTS stars had been broken up for a while, and Bassett moved on with Carpenter.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
-
Statham is one of the world’s most successful action stars, with a global box office surpassing $8 billion across his career with such major franchises as The Meg, Fast & Furious, and The Beekeeper under hie belt.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Icons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icons. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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