ideogram

American  

[id-ee-uh-gram, ahy-dee-] / ˈɪd i əˌgræm, ˈaɪ di- /

noun

1. Linguistics. a symbol that represents an idea or object directly rather than a particular word or speech sound, such as an arrow symbol to represent direction.

2. a symbol that substitutes for a word or phrase, such as 7, =, or &; a logogram.

---

ideogram British  

/ ˈɪdɪəʊˌɡrɑːf, -ˌɡræf, ˈɪdɪəʊˌɡræm /

noun

1. a sign or symbol, used in such writing systems as those of China or Japan, that directly represents a concept, idea, or thing rather than a word or set of words for it

2. any graphic sign or symbol, such as %, @, &, etc

---

Etymology

Origin of ideogram

First recorded in 1830–40; ideo- + -gram ¹

Example Sentences

Mr. Canby had a radically different assessment of Mr. Berger’s work this time, calling him “a lightweight” who “can function no more than as an ideogram for decadence.”

From New York Times • May 21, 2023

A prizefighter’s journey is an existentialist ideogram for life, and the real fight, the real fifteen rounds, occurs in the heart, at home.”

From The New Yorker • May 15, 2017

She left her copy of the I Ching open to a hexagram that was interpreted to mean “time to move on”—most likely number 18, an ideogram of three maggots and an urn, which represents decay.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2016

Production illustrator Tom Southwell saw a Japanese ideogram he liked and placed it in the window of the noodle shop.

From Time • Jun. 25, 2012

The semicircle and egg at the end of Cleopatra are a conventional ideogram for “daughter of Isis.”

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan