insignia
Americannoun
-
a badge or distinguishing mark of office or honor.
a military insignia.
-
a distinguishing mark or sign of anything.
an insignia of mourning.
noun
-
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.
See Examples For:
At one Ukrainian battalion fighting on the eastern front, soldiers and officers agreed to take down all American flags and other insignia during the past two weeks, said a commander in the unit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
The statue is heavily damaged, with its head removed and its arms and royal insignia worn away.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
The holder of the honour is then asked to return their insignia to Buckingham Palace and cannot use the title or post-nominal letters any more.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
They found a police vehicle in his garage and a police jacket in his bedroom, as well as other clothes with law enforcement insignia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026
He’s dressed in his uniform, sober black with the rows of insignia and decorations.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
The Enquirer had different management, did not receive Scripps-Howard features and editorials, did not even carry the chain's lighthouse insigne.
From Time Magazine Archive
The chain editorials that went out from New York to all Scripps-Howard papers were not even sent to the Enquirer; the chain insigne, a lighthouse, did not shine from its pages.
From Time Magazine Archive
First to sport the new five-star insigne, on the flag of his flagship* last fortnight, was Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King.
From Time Magazine Archive
He kept two Spad pursuit ships, each bearing the number 1, and the famed hat-in-the-ring insigne.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Anybody wearing the fraternity pin,” he added, and touched a blue dot tattooed under his left eye— an insigne, a visible password, by which certain former prison inmates could identify him.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
USA House, whose walls bear insignias celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, is expected to be a hub of activity for meetings and other events.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026
“These are our favorite things on the planet,” said Stewart, who was heavily involved in developing “Honor Among Thieves,” down to the spells and insignias seen on screen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2023
The Mets wore caps with insignias representing New York first responder departments.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 11, 2022
The male dancers are clearly wearing uniforms, but Demuth chooses not to include insignias, medals, or other identifying marks.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021
A young boy, perhaps ten, wanders over to ask questions about the meaning of the insignias on his uniform.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
