variants
also ikons
1
as in heroes
a person who is the object of extreme or uncritical devotion
Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and other icons of pop culture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in symbols
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in manifestations
a visible representation of something abstract (as a quality)
cites Marlene Dietrich as an icon of old-time Hollywood glamour
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in celebrities
a person who is widely known and usually much talked about
a sports bar filled with photos of icons from football, basketball, and baseball
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in pictures
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Recent Examples of icons
This same level of access extends to Milan’s cultural, bucket-list icons.
—
Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
The month of February sets aside a time to honor America's Black history, from achievements in music and art to political and sports icons.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
The new space allows select guests a deep dive into the designer’s universe, which was greatly shaped by her distinct, bold taste and her Parisian milieu, which included fashion icons like Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 10 Feb. 2026
Fashion icons know when to use their own backs to make a statement, and when to bow to the occasion.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Young concurrently served as the Chairman of the Groundlings Theater, which incubated a generation of comedy icons, including Will Ferrell, Melissa McCarthy and Cheryl Hines.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2026
Many sports icons have taken part in this annual tradition, including Tom Brady, Eli Manning, and Peyton Manning.
—Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
From galaxy-spanning Star Wars icons to Broadway favorites, wizarding rivals, and nostalgic cartoon duos, BrickHeadz builds turn favorite pop culture figures into desk- and shelf-worthy decor.
—Brittany Anas, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Feb. 2026
It will be held primarily at the historic San Siro Stadium in Milan, featuring performances by icons like Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli, as well as traditional elements like the Parade of Nations and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 4 Feb. 2026
Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
The month of February sets aside a time to honor America's Black history, from achievements in music and art to political and sports icons.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
The new space allows select guests a deep dive into the designer’s universe, which was greatly shaped by her distinct, bold taste and her Parisian milieu, which included fashion icons like Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 10 Feb. 2026
Fashion icons know when to use their own backs to make a statement, and when to bow to the occasion.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Young concurrently served as the Chairman of the Groundlings Theater, which incubated a generation of comedy icons, including Will Ferrell, Melissa McCarthy and Cheryl Hines.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2026
Many sports icons have taken part in this annual tradition, including Tom Brady, Eli Manning, and Peyton Manning.
—Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
From galaxy-spanning Star Wars icons to Broadway favorites, wizarding rivals, and nostalgic cartoon duos, BrickHeadz builds turn favorite pop culture figures into desk- and shelf-worthy decor.
—Brittany Anas, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Feb. 2026
It will be held primarily at the historic San Siro Stadium in Milan, featuring performances by icons like Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli, as well as traditional elements like the Parade of Nations and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for icons
Noun
-
Hume became one of modern atheism’s great intellectual heroes by rejecting this idea.—
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Without giving anything away, the scale of the sequence in which the heroes finally confront the AI force that threatens to destroy them is massive, and lighting and planning shots for the enormous set — which had the largest LED installation ever built in South Africa — required 600 storyboards.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Plays cost from 50 cents to $30, with a goal of matching symbols on the wheel.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Bull and bear symbols for successful and bad trading are seen in front of the German stock exchange (Deutsche Boerse) in Frankfurt, Germany, February 12, 2019.—
Hugh Leask,Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But on Monday, the French pharma firm reported that clinical trial results showed its experimental oral drug venglustat improved the neurological manifestations of what’s known as type 3 Gaucher disease, which can include poor muscle coordination and cognitive issues.—
Andrew Joseph,
STAT,
2 Feb. 2026
-
These sorcerers combat monstrous manifestations of negative human emotion, known as Curses, using a parallel energy source called Cursed Energy.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Michael Kors welcomed a packed front row of celebrities to the Metropolitan Opera House on Thursday evening for his fall 2026 show, which also happened to be his 45th anniversary.—
Leigh Nordstrom,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Over the past ten years, celebrities have gone from treating profiles as a necessary part of the job — grin and bear it, hold a puppy, say the least offensive things possible — to giving you absolutely nothing.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Deuxmoi showed pictures of McRae and Hughes dining at Anton’s in the West Village the month prior.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
In these 2-foot-square pictures, long-haired nude female figures in close Edenic companionship with wild beasts poke their heads out from behind lush tropical foliage, and stare, unsettlingly, straight outward.—
Benjamin Lima,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But there is a theatrical beauty to Curwen’s work that remains appealing despite his protestations, drawing parallels with his idols Lee Alexander McQueen and John Galliano.—
Ari Stark,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The singer grew up watching his idols win awards on television, and eventually, those idols began handing him the awards.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
As the investigation into the shooting unfolded, detectives showed still images of Neves-Valente taken from surveillance video to several shooting victims.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Milan — Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych says the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned him from wearing his helmet featuring images of athletes killed during the war in Ukraine.—
Aleks Klosok,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The lowest-mass stars appear small, faint, red, and cool; the higher mass stars appear large, bright, blue, and hot.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Tokyo — In scenes normally reserved for J-pop stars, thousands of fans huddle against the cold outside a small train station on the outskirts of Tokyo, their phones held high for a glimpse of Japan’s latest obsession.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Icons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icons. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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