iconic
Americanadjective
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Art. (of statues, portraits, etc.) executed according to a convention or tradition.
adjective
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relating to, resembling, or having the character of an icon
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(of memorial sculptures, esp those depicting athletes of ancient Greece) having a fixed conventional style
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of iconic
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin īconicus, from Greek eikonikós, from eikon- (stem of eikṓn ) icon + -ikos -ic
Explanation
Something that is iconic is characteristic of an icon — an image, emblem, idol, or hero. Audrey Hepburn was widely admired for her iconic style, her great fashion taste. Iconic often describes something or someone that is considered symbolic of something else, like spirituality, virtue, or evil and corruption. The iconic Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom. Michelangelo's iconic statue of David was supposed to represent anatomical perfection. In Christianity, the Virgin Mary is an iconic image of purity and closeness to God.
Vocabulary lists containing iconic
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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.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is perhaps the most iconic of super subs, largely for that Treble-clinching night in Barcelona.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Celebrating 20 years of 30 Rock: Join Slate’s culture team in toasting Tina Fey’s iconic sitcom, which premiered 20 years ago this month.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
The cause of death for iconic fashion designer Bob Mackie wasn’t pneumonia after all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
One option we floated, because I was baptized Catholic, was the iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin solve the three-dimensional structure of DNA, producing the iconic image of the double helix.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
