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iconic
[ ahy-kon-ik ]
adjective
- widely considered to epitomize an era, culture, community, place, etc.; representative:
The iconic figure of punk rock reunited with her bandmates for a final performance.
We boarded one of London’s iconic double-decker buses.
- celebrated, revered, or idolized:
The cheesesteak has iconic status in Philly.
She's worn some of the most iconic gowns ever to grace the red carpet.
- Eastern Church. of or relating to a representation of some sacred personage or event, such as Christ or a saint or the Resurrection, painted usually on a wood surface and venerated for its subject.
- Art. (of statues, portraits, etc.) executed according to a convention or tradition.
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Other Words From
- i·con·i·cal·ly adverb
- i·co·nic·i·ty [ahy-k, uh, -, nis, -i-tee], noun
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Word History and Origins
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Example Sentences
I would hike each morning through Brooklyn, over that borough’s iconic bridge, to Fortune’s offices in Manhattan’s South Street Seaport.
Paulson is playing Nurse Mildred Ratched, one of the most iconic villains in movie history.
After reaching an agreement to buy the jeweler, Arnault described it as an “iconic, emblematic brand of America, with a great history,” and said the deal would boost its prospects in Europe and China.
Bell Labs, the iconic company that developed the laser, the transistor, and many of the 20th century’s most innovative technologies, offers an example.
Singaporeans have speculated for months about the origins of the mysterious orb floating on the waterfront next to the city’s iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
Not only had the iconic comedian sexually assaulted many, many women, Maher argued, “I never thought he was funny.”
The Guaraldi music is certainly at least 50 percent responsible for A Charlie Brown Christmas becoming as iconic as it has.
In “Sleigh Ride,” the narrator is painting a scene so perfect that it could be featured on an iconic Currier and Ives print.
Phonetic, made-up lyrics are another venerable tradition of folk music, and “pa-rum-pa-pa-pum” is iconic of the genre.
At Michigan, he would be a formidable recruiter, able to evoke the tradition of his former iconic coach, Bo Schembechler.
But without some corroborative evidence it is hardly safe to take these as genuine examples of early iconic worship.
She is the invariant of each of her iconic Mantrams and her surroundings are the variables that enter and leave the screen.
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Related Words
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More About Iconic
What does iconic mean?
If something or someone is considered iconic, they’re very influential, recognizable, and revered, e.g., Rembrandt is an iconic painter.
Where does iconic come from?
Iconic, evidenced in the 1650s, originally referred to an icon, an “image” or “portrait,” as in a religious icon.
Zoom ahead to the 1950s, when an icon expanded to refer to someone who’s celebrated for representing a particular cultural phenomenon (as one may have revered a religious icon), e.g., a rock music icon. The adjective iconic expanded with it, as evidenced by at least the 1970s.
We speak of Albert Einstein as an iconic scientist or genius, or Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans as iconic pop artworks. We speak of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as an iconic activist, or the Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” as an iconic rap song.
Since the term iconic implies influence and stature, the word has further evolved (some would argue diluted) to mean “significant” or “noteworthy” more generally.
One example of this definition shift comes from YouTube star Emilia Fart. In 2018, Fart became, well, something of an icon of feminism and body positivity in the online LGBTQ community. Her videos feature absurdist content meant to make us rethink social norms. She encourages people to be iconic—in her universe, to unabashedly and unforgivingly be one’s strange but fabulous self.
How is iconic used in real life?
Iconic is widely used to describe incredibly successful and influential people who epitomize (and/or ushered in) some significant cultural moment, or who might otherwise be idolized for their actions or talents.
On this day in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I have a dream" speech in Washington DC. pic.twitter.com/WsObRERKVK
— Norm Kelly (@norm) August 28, 2018
An Iconic Singer!!! #ArethaFranklin pic.twitter.com/OCn6Oo4mQs
— IANDYCHIRINO ✨ (@iandychirino) December 16, 2018
Iconic also, of course, extends to cultural products, like movies or songs, that have a profound impact on the zeitgeist.
The shooting one of the most iconic moments in movie history, 1997. pic.twitter.com/srVGJpONbt
— Life in Moments (@historyinmoment) December 21, 2018
In the popular lexicon, though, iconic can also refer to something more generally notable, recognizable, memorable, or popular in some way, à la the slang word classic.
@RhyanGrant should don the iconic Ronaldo haircut next season pic.twitter.com/PY52f6CPce
— dots (@dots218) December 22, 2018
this one if for the locals. remember in high school when someone said our class of girls looked like a bunch of butch boys so all the girls dressed as boys the next day lmao. iconic.
— 𝔞𝔩𝔢𝔵𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯 (@alexcalif) December 22, 2018
desperate housewives is one of the most iconic tv show ever. don't even @ me
— Liz (@vanillaniston) December 23, 2018
That said, many might grumble that the term is overused or misused.
Everyone *please* Stop throwing the word "Icon" / "Iconic" around.
You're all using it wrong.
Hardly *Anyone* nowadays is Actually iconic,— Karl Booton (@karlbooton) June 25, 2015
More examples of iconic:
“The remarkable stories behind 8 of the most iconic war photos ever taken”
—Daniel Brown, Business Insider (headline), December 2018
Note
This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.
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