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.
The name Insignia appears on the front of each unit and on its permanent label.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 27, 2023
Biden lauded Uruguay as a regional and global model for democratic governance and congratulated Lacalle Pou for receiving the Gold Insignia award from the Council of the Americas, the White House said.
From Reuters • Jun. 13, 2023
The court heard that Mr Ali of Dalwood Court, Hemlington and Mr Matthews of Newcomen Green, Middlesbrough, both 21, had a bought a Vauxhall Insignia the day before the incident.
From BBC • Aug. 3, 2022
Insignia deals Insignia’s televisions cost significantly less than any of the brands above.
From The Verge • Nov. 23, 2021
Insignia, in-sig′ni-a, n.pl. signs or badges of office or honour: marks by which anything is known.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
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.
