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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The Great Gilly Hopkins
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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:
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
If you step into a Louis Vuitton store today, the LV monogram is omnipresent, the symbol of a powerful luxury house.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
Then, he’ll draw the monogram, crest or other design on the painted silver.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2025
Blood leeched through the silk handkerchief Frankie had wrapped my hand in, blotting out the monogram embroidered in Gothic script.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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
They divorced several years later, but she kept his last name, partly because her mother hated the idea of wasting wedding gifts of monogrammed linens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 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
Some waded in the ocean, while others sat under umbrellas with white monogrammed towels on their chairs.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2023
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
Just like bespoke, you can choose from a variety of details — buttons, fabrics, patterns and monogramming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2024
“If a single additional customer gets an imperfect luggage tag I am personally overtaking oversight of the monogramming program,” Korey wrote on Slack, her exasperation boiling over.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 18, 2019
The monogramming team’s experience of feeling ignored is mirrored by Away’s retail employees, who’ve endured neglect as the company has expanded across the globe.
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 bags with houndstooth, linen and herringbone patterns, leather trim and a monogramming option.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 31, 2018
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.
