emoticon
Americannoun
-
emoticons
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of emoticon
Compare meaning
How does emoticon compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An emoticon is a typed series of characters that resembles a facial expression and expresses some emotion. You might use an emoticon in an email, a text message, or in an explanation of the word emoticon :) . Most emoticons are flipped on their side, like the classic smiley face emoticon, which looks like this: :-) or like this: :) and expresses happiness or playfulness. If you want to send a subtle message like "Just kidding," or "Ha ha," you might use a winking emoticon like this one: ;). Emoticons help lend a specific tone or mood to a message. The word emoticon, a combination of emotion and icon, first appeared in 1994.
Vocabulary lists containing emoticon
Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
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Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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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:
She eulogizes the emoticon, that conglomeration of punctuation marks that English-language texters used to convey feelings before the arrival in 2010 of the emoji.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“To all the Tweeps who decided to make today your last day: thanks for being incredible teammates through the ups and downs,” she tweeted with a saluting emoticon.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 18, 2022
The line was followed by a winking emoticon.
From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2021
Others had grown suspicious of his emoticon use: one wrote that anyone “who uses the ‘!?’ emoji is totally a middle-aged man.”
From Washington Post ● May 11, 2021
I offered to give him my own T-shirt, but he said no because he couldn't think up anything new to name my emoticon scar.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
These included "broligarchy," "Gen Z stare," and an entry from the world of emoticons -- the dynamite emoji.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2025
Conversations between the co-defendants on social media showed they had sent emoticons depicting a smiley face and hearts to each other.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2025
Viewers can subscribe to an individual streamer for $5 to $25 a month and receive digital badges, custom emoticons and other perks.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2022
The utility of emoticons for tone indication quickly spread off-campus: A few months later, a researcher named James Morris sent a message titled “Communication Breakthrough” to his colleagues at the research lab Xerox Parc.
From New York Times ● Dec. 9, 2020
My emoticons are puncture-ation marks from the time a dead horse fell out of the sky onto me and my mother.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
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.
