An iconic image or thing is important or impressive because it seems to be a symbol of something.
[formal]
Murphy's powerfully spoken Oedipus is an autocrat of iconic grandeur.
The ads helped the brand to achieve iconic status.
iconic in British English
(aɪˈkɒnɪk) or iconical
adjective
1.
relating to, resembling, or having the character of an icon
2.
(of memorial sculptures, esp those depicting athletes of ancient Greece) having a fixed conventional style
iconic in American English
(aɪˈkɑnɪk)
adjective
1.
of, or having the nature of, an icon
2.
done in a fixed or conventional style
said of certain statues and busts
Word origin
LL iconicus < Gr eikonikos < eikōn, an image: see icon
Examples of 'iconic' in a sentence
iconic
You can't help but be affected by that legacy and those iconic characters.
The Sun (2016)
This iconic image helped pave the way for plus-size models.
The Sun (2016)
But after a month of protests they finally caved in'because of its status as an iconic image of historical importance '.
The Sun (2016)
The mask is its most iconic symbol.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The discovery will end the mystery of what happened to the iconic symbol.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
What is it about the electric guitar that has gained it such iconic status?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Evidence for his iconic status continues to mount.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
To read what seemed like recycled gossip about iconic characters was one thing.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The tragedy is that you cease to care about the iconic characters you grew up with.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
My personal view is that the tip is such an iconic symbol it must stay and ideally not in any other form.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It's one of the most iconic symbols in sport.
The Sun (2013)
And they still couldn't keep this iconic symbol alight.
The Sun (2008)
It's the viewers who decide what makes an iconic character.
The Sun (2014)
Coronation Street has lost one of its iconic characters.
The Sun (2015)
When we think of something being iconic, we tend to think of it being timeless.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
And the more iconic something is, the more rigorous you have to be with your scientific proof.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Such images have become iconic.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
No wonder blue plaques have become as iconic a symbol of London as the Tube map.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Have those roles, and his subsequent iconic status, become a burden?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The iconic 1976 image sold more than 12million posters and came to define that era.
The Sun (2011)
There is something so iconic and eternal about'the singer '.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
A return to one of his most iconic characters in Terminator 5 is also in the pipeline.
The Sun (2013)
The political and physical war is skilfully reported, as well as the emotional and ideological ambitions and conflicts of the hotel's iconic characters.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This in itself is amazing - how often do you see a drama about two iconic characters in their fifties, still hot for each other?