ideogram

UK: /ˈɪdiəgræm/

US: /ˈɪdiəˌgræm, ˈaɪdi-/

US: (id′ē ə gram′, ī′dē-)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

id•e•o•gram /ˈɪdiəˌgræm, ˈaɪdi-/   n. [countable]

1. Linguistics a written symbol that represents a thing directly rather than a word or sound.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

id•e•o•gram  (id′ē ə gram′, ī′dē-), n. 

1. Linguistics a written symbol that represents an idea or object directly rather than a particular word or speech sound, as a Chinese character.
2. Linguistics a written symbol, as 7, =, logogram.

• ideo- + -gram¹ 1830–40

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ideogram / ˈɪdɪəʊˌɡræm/, ideograph / ˈɪdɪəʊˌɡrɑːf -ˌɡræf/ noun

1. a sign or symbol, used in such writing systems as those of China or Japan, that directly represents a concept, idea, or thing rather than a word or set of words for it
2. any graphic sign or symbol, such as %, @, &, etc