monogram

American  

[mon-uh-gram] / ˈmɒn əˌgræm /

noun

1. a design consisting of two or more alphabetic letters combined or interlaced, commonly one's initials, often printed on stationery, embroidered on clothing, etc.

2. a single emblematic or decorative letter; applied initial.

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verb (used with object)

monogrammed, monogramming

1. to decorate with a monogram.

monogram British  

/ ˌmɒnəɡrəˈmætɪk, ˈmɒnəˌɡræm /

noun

1. a design of one or more letters, esp initials, embroidered on clothing, printed on stationery, etc

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verb

1. (tr; usually passive) to decorate (clothing, stationery, etc) with a monogram

Other Word Forms

• monogrammatic
  adjective
• monogrammatical
  adjective
• monogrammic
  adjective
• unmonogrammed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of monogram

1600–10; < Late Latin monogramma, irregular < Late Greek monógrammon. See mono-, -gram ¹

Explanation

If you've ever had a set of stationery with your initials printed on it, you know what a monogram is — it's those three letters at the top. When you buy a towel, a blanket, or a sweater you can often pay a little extra for a monogram, to get the initials of your first, middle, and last names embroidered on them. Writing paper, wedding invitations, envelopes, and other paper goods are commonly printed with a monogram — or monogrammed. Fancy silverware can also be imprinted with a monogram, as can gold and silver jewelry. The root is Greek, monogrammon, which means "intertwined letters."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

monogram monogrammed monogramming

Dürer was only partly successful: It was decided that Raimondi could continue copying Dürer’s work, but he was prohibited from also copying the artist’s distinctive monogram.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Chinese media reported last week that a court in the eastern Jiangsu province ruled that the Shenzhen-based tea company had copied Louis Vuitton's iconic four-petal flower monogram trademark.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Originally the symbol for Maybach-Motorenbau—a maker of sternly grand luxury cars in Germany before World War II—the monogram now denotes Mercedes-Maybach, the sub-brand launched by Stuttgart in 2014 to compete against Rolls-Royce and Bentley.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

I don’t monogram my clothes for myself, even if it seems like it from the outside.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026

I didn’t see any words etched there, but I did find a small monogram etched in the center of the key’s crystal handle, a single calligraphic letter “A” that I recognized immediately.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Creators found themselves on the defensive after attending an OpenAI event at Wildflower Farms, a resort in Hudson Valley, N.Y., where they received monogrammed pajamas and OpenAI-branded honey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Presiding over the festivities was Frank Seddio, the club’s 79-year-old chairman, who was wearing suspenders and a monogrammed dress shirt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025

Dressed in denim and a monogrammed windbreaker, cradling a cup of coffee, he was casual and unassuming, perfectly attired for fact-finding on a late fall morning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2024

Rivera, the cook, received a white monogrammed Michelin chef’s jacket, which hangs in his closet because it’s too warm for his broiling workplace, and he doesn’t want to get it dirty working the greasy grill.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2024

She looked so fancy in dresses that were monogrammed, embroidered, covered in flowers.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

For a personal touch, monogramming for up to three letters is also an option.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2022

No one says, “Gee, I think I’ll co-found a cool travel company so I can personally take over the luggage-tag monogramming program.”

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 18, 2019

Away’s monogramming team still say they do not think there is adequate ventilation in the room where they are painting the luggage.

From The Verge ● Dec. 17, 2019

Add gold embossed monogramming for an extra special touch.

From Fox News ● Nov. 28, 2018

Local photographer Susan Saandholland helped them convert the image in Photoshop so it could be printed on fabric, and Cotton Connection, on Main Street, did some monogramming work on the finished product.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 2, 2017