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

All of the rentals below make good use of this accessibility, with many just a few minutes from the destination’s iconic surf. — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 31 July 2026

The automaker seems to have moved on from plans to build a rugged, off-road-centric model that would compete directly with Mercedes’s iconic 4×4. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 30 July 2026

And there’s a way to take that trip, to one of California’s most iconic getaway spots, without having to pack up the car. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 30 July 2026

The series will see Alicia Silverstone back in her iconic role as Beverly Hills it-girl Cher Horowitz as a mom. — Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 30 July 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