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Synonyms

IC

1 American  

plural

ICs

  1. immediate constituent.

  2. Electronics. integrated circuit.

  3. intensive care.

-ic 2 American  

  1. a suffix forming adjectives from other parts of speech, occurring originally in Greek and Latin loanwords (metallic; poetic; archaic; public ) and, on this model, used as an adjective-forming suffix with the particular senses “having some characteristics of” (opposed to the simple attributive use of the base noun) (balletic; sophomoric ); “in the style of” (Byronic; Miltonic ); “pertaining to a family of peoples or languages” (Finnic; Semitic; Turkic ).

  2. Chemistry. a suffix, specialized in opposition to -ous, used to show the higher of two valences.

    ferric chloride.

  3. a noun suffix occurring chiefly in loanwords from Greek, where such words were originally adjectival (critic; magic; music ).

I.C. 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. Jesus Christ.

IC 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. internal-combustion

  2. electronics integrated circuit

  3. text messaging I see

  4. (in transformational grammar) immediate constituent

  5. astrology Imum Coeli: the point on the ecliptic lying directly opposite the Midheaven

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
-ic 2 British  

suffix

  1. of, relating to, or resembling See also -ical

    allergic

    Germanic

    periodic

  2. (in chemistry) indicating that an element is chemically combined in the higher of two possible valence states Compare -ous

    ferric

    stannic
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
i/c 3 British  

abbreviation

  1. in charge (of)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of -ic2

Middle English -ic, -ik, from Latin -icus; in many words representing the cognate Greek -ikos (directly or through Latin ); in some words replacing -ique, from French, from Latin -icus

Origin of I.C.3

< Latin I ( ēsus ) C ( hrīstus )

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.

IC: I just want people to understand that there are literally floor-to-ceiling bookcases where there are hundreds of VHS tapes and hundreds of Betacams.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025

“Nexperia makes chips that are fundamental to virtually every modern vehicle,” says Nick Paul, general manager for United Kingdom–based supply chain specialist IC Blue.

From Barron's • Nov. 6, 2025

In recent years, thousands of Tibetans in India have emigrated to Western countries using the IC, which some nations accept for visa applications.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2025

IC: I was just in line for a Heaven bag.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2024

It might be well enough to make IC spend valuable time looking for him, but such delaying actions had no positive value.

From Insidekick by Bone, Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin)

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.