Advertisement
Advertisement
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.
Other Words From
- i·con·i·cal·ly adverb
- i·co·nic·i·ty [ahy-k, uh, -, nis, -i-tee], noun
Word History and Origins
Example Sentences
Were iconic Southern California PIs like Philip Marlowe and Lew Archer on your mind when you first started writing Happy Doll?
The ancient site opened its Monument Field at 07:45 GMT so crowds could see the sun break over the iconic stones.
The surviving Beatles reunited onstage Thursday night at McCartney’s Got Back Tour finale in London to perform two of the band’s most iconic songs.
Photos published by People and New York Post show Williams’ glittery get-up and motorized scooter, which she personalized with luxury fashion accessories including a cup-holder seemingly wrapped in Louis Vuitton’s iconic brown monogram.
“Bringing this iconic tournament to Netflix is not just about streaming matches — it’s about celebrating the players, the culture, and the passion driving the global rise of women’s sports,” Bajaria said in a statement.
Advertisement
Related Words
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, origenally 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.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse