insignia
Americannoun
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a badge or distinguishing mark of office or honor.
a military insignia.
-
a distinguishing mark or sign of anything.
an insignia of mourning.
noun
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a badge or emblem of membership, office, or dignity
-
a distinguishing sign or mark
Usage
Insignia, originally the plural of Latin insigne, began to be used as a singular in the 18th century, and the plural insignias appeared shortly thereafter. All uses— insignia as a singular or plural and insignias as a plural—are fully standard. The singular insigne still occurs, but insignia is more common.
Etymology
Origin of insignia
1640–50; < Latin, plural of insigne mark, badge, noun use of neuter of insignis distinguished (by a mark); see in- 2, sign
Explanation
An insignia is a badge you wear to show your position or affiliation. If you're an Eagle Scout, you can wear that insignia, or, if you're a Red Sox fan, you might wear the team logo as your insignia. The word insignia includes the word "sign" — an insignia is a sign that shows your connection to some organization. Military officers wear insignias that indicate their rank. When you watch the president of the United States give a speech, you'll see on the lectern the official presidential insignia — the circular seal with the eagle inside.
Vocabulary lists containing insignia
The Things They Carried
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Fallen Angels
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Projekt 1065
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the virtual hearing, which lasted five minutes, she said she spoke to a man dressed in a green uniform, stitched with what looked like government insignia, seated in front of an American flag.
From Salon • May 2, 2026
Platner pleaded ignorance—claiming that he had gotten inked with insignia while drunk and off duty in Croatia, and didn’t understand the horrific context until much later.
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026
They found a police vehicle in his garage and a police jacket in his bedroom, as well as other clothes with law enforcement insignia.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
It cited a European source as saying Palestinian representatives had also helped during the previous ceasefire but without wearing PA insignia due to "Israeli sensitivity" over their presence in Gaza.
From BBC • Dec. 3, 2025
They carried chess sets, basketballs, Vietnamese-English dictionaries, insignia of rank, Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts, plastic cards imprinted with the Code of Conduct.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
