ICON Synonyms: 116 Similar and Opposite Words

icon

noun

ˈī-ˌkän

variants also ikon

Definition of icon

as in hero

a person who is the object of extreme or uncritical devotion Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and other icons of pop culture

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Relevance

as in symbol

a written or printed mark that is meant to convey information to the reader the player's remote control is very user-friendly as it doesn't use any icons that you haven't seen a million times before

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as in manifestation

a visible representation of something abstract (as a quality) cites Marlene Dietrich as an icon of old-time Hollywood glamour

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as in star

a person who is widely known and usually much talked about a sports bar filled with photos of icons from football, basketball, and baseball

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in image

a two dimensional design intended to look like a person or thing any icon of the Deity is regarded as blasphemous by adherents of that religion

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of icon Gloria Steinem, the writer, activist and icon of the feminist movement, has died. — Rebecca Sun, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026 Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women's liberation icon Gloria Steinem has died at 92. — Abc News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 Steinem’s route to becoming an icon was anything but conventional. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 3 Sep. 2026 Multiple actresses portrayed the activist and icon on screen. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for icon

Recent Examples of Synonyms for icon

Noun

Before Bret can continue to self-identify as Shakespeare’s most famous hero, he’s questioned by Detectives Donaldson and Fregosi, who wonder if Bret isn’t being honest about the nature of his relationship with Matt.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
The problem is exacerbated by Mark Wahlberg, pretty handily the most constitutionally unlikely Burton hero of all time.

— Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of hero

Noun

The teaser video even included a shot of a fan with a beer cup snake, a symbol of the lack of focus in the bleachers.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
Nara Prison is one of Japan’s famed Five Great Prisons of the Meiji era, symbols of the dawn of a new modern age for the nation, and the only one to survive today.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of symbol

Noun

One manifestation of that shift is a Holiday Inn Express ad campaign that ran for more than a decade beginning in 1998 and showed ordinary people completing complex tasks such as brain surgery that were far outside their professional expertise.

— Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
The dropping/suspension was the beginning of the end, or at least the most public manifestation of the beginning of the end.

— Nick Miller, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of manifestation

Noun

Brad Pitt sent a message to George Clooney as the Michael Clayton star was honored Wednesday at the Venice International Film Festival.

— Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Marchese spent the past 12 years as a senior executive at Studio71, another creator media firm that handled distribution and advertising sales representation for a range of digital-native stars.

— William Earl, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of star

Noun

He was also asked about being one of Hollywood’s last movie stars, and Clooney swiftly brought up two of his idols and good friends, Gregory Peck and Paul Newman.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
He was also dressed as his idol, a true-to-life cosplay that his father, Steve, said he's done for three consecutive Halloweens.

— Brian Bull, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of idol

Noun

David Nussbaum, founder of Proto Hologram in Los Angeles, is helping Sadhguru create a three-dimensional AI avatar that appears in a display box and can interact with devotees in several languages.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti (or Devi), and their various avatars and related forms became the central deities of Hindu devotion.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of avatar

Noun

Johnson looked to Tracey Cunningham—the celebrity colorist and Schwarzkopf Professional US creative director of color and technique—for the job.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 2 Sep. 2026
Its celebrity pedigree is astonishing (spokespersons and fans include Jane Fonda, Martha Stewart, Andie MacDowell, Heidi Klum, etc), its offerings are robust, and many, if not most of its products, are five-star successes.

— Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of celebrity

Browse Nearby Words

icky

icon

iconoclasm

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Articles Related to icon

Cite this Entry

Style

“Icon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icon. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of icon

noun

Example Sentences

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