iconic

Also i·con·i·cal

[ahy-kon-ik]

adjective

1. widely considered to epitomize an era, culture, community, place, etc.; representative.

   The iconic figure of punk rock reunited with her bandmates for a final performance.

   We boarded one of London’s iconic double-decker buses.

2. celebrated, revered, or idolized.

   The cheesesteak has iconic status in Philly.

   She's worn some of the most iconic gowns ever to grace the red carpet.

3. Eastern Church.,  of or relating to a representation of some sacred personage or event, such as Christ or a saint or the Resurrection, painted usually on a wood surface and venerated for its subject.

4. Art.,  (of statues, portraits, etc.) executed according to a convention or tradition.

Other Word Forms

• iconically adverb
• iconicity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of iconic¹

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin īconicus, from Greek eikonikós, from eikon- (stem of eikṓn ) icon + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

The tariff threat, if followed through on, would effectively cut off the American market for much of Europe’s most iconic beverages, industry groups said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The contradiction of her career is that the things we in the audience loved about her — the breezy humor, the self-deprecating charm, the iconic threads — were Keaton’s attempts to mask her own insecurities.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Her catchphrase, “Oh well, la-di-da, la-di-da,” became iconic.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Can Rachel McAdams sue the attorney general for this half-baked theft of her iconic movie villain?

Read more on Salon

Five of those staircases will eventually be fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle to form the show’s iconic barricade where the student revolutionaries fight and die in Act 2.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• archetypal 
• epochal 
• exemplary 

When To Use

What does iconic mean?

If something or someone is considered iconic, they're very influential, recognizable, and revered, e.g., Rembrandt is an iconic painter.