icon

noun \ ˈī-ˌkän \

variants: or less commonly ikon

Updated on: 9 Dec 2017

Definition of icon

1 : a usually pictorial representation : image

[Late Greek eikōn, from Greek]

: a conventional religious image typically painted on a small wooden panel and used in the devotions of Eastern Christians

3 : an object of uncritical devotion : idol

4 : emblem, symbol

the house became an icon of 1960's residential architecture
—Paul Goldberger

5 a : a sign (such as a word or graphic symbol) whose form suggests its meaning

b : a graphic symbol on a computer display screen that represents an object (such as a file) or function (such as the command to delete)

See icon defined for English-language learners

See icon defined for kids

Examples of icon in a Sentence

Click on the icon to open your e-mail program.
He has become an icon in the movie business.
a singer who has become a pop icon
The Statue of Liberty has become an American cultural icon.

Recent Examples of icon from the Web

There's no question that Rowan Blanchard is a total style icon.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Rowan Blanchard Wears Gucci to the 2017 LACMA Art and Film Gala," 5 Nov. 2017
But some provided new insights into the yearslong attempt to uncover a motive behind the killing of an American icon by a scruffy, seemingly confused drifter.

— glenn thrush, scott shane and peter baker, New York Times, "C.I.A. Documents Describe Lee Harvey Oswald’s Visit to Mexico," 3 Nov. 2017
Following his Goodbye Tour in 2013, the country music icon recorded a series of 12 beloved songs with help from his longtime friend and producer Carl Jackson.

— jessica mattern, Country Living, "The Story Behind Glen Campbell's Cover of 'Funny (How Time Slips Away)' Is So Heartbreaking," 25 Oct. 2017
Because what usually happens is there’s one woman on the stage that becomes the token and the icon.

— The Economist, "Transcript: Interview with Hillary Clinton," 17 Oct. 2017
Though the term is used far too often in fashion, Tracee Ellis Ross is an actual icon.

— lindsay peoples, The Cut, "This Is What Tracee Ellis Ross’s Clothing Line Will Look Like," 11 Oct. 2017
And what could be a better distraction from our current time in U.S. history than getting American icon Leonardo DiCaprio to play the OG Roosevelt in a biopic directed by Martin Scorsese?

— matt miller, Esquire, "Leonardo DiCaprio Will Play Theodore Roosevelt in a New Martin Scorsese Biopic," 26 Sep. 2017
There is an icon on the instrument panel that blinks and sounds an alert.

— g. chambers williams iii, star-telegram, "Kia updates the Optima Hybrid for 2017, boosting fuel economy, styling, technology," 22 Sep. 2017
Slavery taints almost every American icon — but not all of them also committed treason in an explicit attempt to retain and even advance the peculiar and despicable institution.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "The Religious Right’s Suicidal Gay Obsession," 8 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'icon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of icon

Latin, from Greek eikōn, from eikenai to resemble

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1572

See Words from the same year

icon Synonyms

Synonyms

god, hero, idol (also ikon)

Antonyms

nobody, noncelebrity

Related Words

beau ideal, classic, exemplar, ideal, model, nonpareil, paragon

Near Antonyms

lightweight, mediocrity; has-been

Other Fine Arts Terms

Gothic, baroque, bas-relief, limn, oeuvre, pastiche, rococo, sfumato

icon-

combining form

variants: or icono-

Definition of icon-

: image

iconolatry

Origin and Etymology of icon-

Greek eikon-, eikono-, from eikon-, eikōn

ICON Defined for English Language Learners

icon

noun

Definition of icon for English Language Learners

computers : a small picture on a computer screen that represents a program or function
: a person who is very successful and admired
: a widely known symbol