monogram
Americannoun
-
a design consisting of two or more alphabetic letters combined or interlaced, commonly one's initials, often printed on stationery, embroidered on clothing, etc.
-
a single emblematic or decorative letter; applied initial.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing monogram
Write On!: Graph and Gram
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The Last Olympian
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gram (letter)
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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:
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
"And I lived that as an early teen. I was desperate for the monogram Gucci washbag."
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
After 130 years, the Louis Vuitton monogram still carries weight, hearkening back to an era of remarkable craftsmanship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
It was named Pluto at least partly because the first two letters made a monogram from Lowell’s initials.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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
With each passing month, the book club became more elaborate and more involved — including vacations in coastal towns, costuming, pickleball tournaments and monogrammed custom merch.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 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
As an ambitious and miserable Yale philosophy professor, Julia Roberts paces Luca Guadagnino’s pretend-provocative noir “After the Hunt” in a prepster uniform of monogrammed tote bag and immaculate white slacks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
Papito and Mundín dab at their eyes, my grandfather with his monogrammed handkerchief that reminds me of Papi’s, Mundín with the back of his hand.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
By monogramming something, the first thing you think about is you.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
In previous years, full-time monogramming artists were included in company-wide events, like Away’s annual holiday party.
From The Verge ● Dec. 17, 2019
Add gold embossed monogramming for an extra special touch.
From Fox News ● Nov. 28, 2018
Pottery Barn Kids’ collection includes this elegant designer option, plus styles with houndstooth, linen and herringbone patterns, leather trim and a monogramming option.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 16, 2018
Pottery Barn Kids’ collection includes bags with houndstooth, linen and herringbone patterns, leather trim and a monogramming option.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 31, 2018
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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.
