What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Icon vs Con - What's the difference?

icon | con |

As nouns the difference between icon and con

is that icon is an image, symbol, picture, or other representation usually as an object of religious devotion while con is cone.

icon

English

(wikipedia icon)

Alternative forms

* eikon, ikon

Noun

(en noun)
  • An image, symbol, picture, or other representation usually as an object of religious devotion.
  • A religious painting, often done on wooden panels.
  • A person or thing that is the best example of a certain profession or some doing.
    • That man is an icon in the business; he personifies loyalty and good business sense.
  • A small picture which represents something (such as an icon on a computer screen which when clicked performs some function.)
  • (linguistics) A type of noun whereby the form reflects and is determined by the referent; onomatopoeic words are necessarily all icons. See also (symbol) and (index).
  • Pictual representations of files, programs and folders on a computer.

    • Derived terms

    * aniconic, aniconism * iconism

    Related terms

    * iconic * iconoclasm, iconoclast, iconoclastic * iconify * iconography * iconstasis

    Anagrams

    * * * ----

    con

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) connen, from (etyl) . More at (l).

    Verb

    (conn)
  • (rare) To study, especially in order to gain knowledge of.
  • * Wordsworth
    • Fixedly did look / Upon the muddy waters which he conned / As if he had been reading in a book.
  • * Burke
    • I did not come into Parliament to con my lesson.
  • * 1963 , D'Arcy Niland, Dadda jumped over two elephants: short stories :
    • The hawk rested on a crag of the gorge and conned the terrain with a fierce and frowning eye.''
  • (rare, archaic) To know, understand, acknowledge.
  • * 1579 , , Iune:
    • Of Muses Hobbinol, I conne no skill
  • to conduct the movements of a ship at sea.
    • Related terms
    * ken * unconned

    Etymology 2

    Abbreviation of (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A disadvantage of something, especially when contrasted with its advantages (pros ).
    • pros and cons
    Synonyms
    * disadvantage
    Antonyms
    * pro
    Related terms
    * pros and cons

    Etymology 3

    Shortened from (convict).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (slang) A convicted criminal, a convict.

    • Etymology 4

    From (con trick), shortened from (confidence trick).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (slang) A fraud; something carried out with the intention of deceiving, usually for personal, often illegal, gain.
    • Synonyms
    * See also

    Verb

    (conn)
  • (slang) To trick or defraud, usually for personal gain.
    • Synonyms
    * (to be conned) be sold a pup

    Related terms

    * con artist * con game * con man * con trick

    Etymology 5

    From earlier (cond), from (etyl) conduen, from (etyl) conduire, from (etyl) .

    Verb

  • (nautical) To give the necessary orders to the helmsman to steer a ship in the required direction through a channel etc. (rather than steer a compass direction)

    • Noun

    (-)
  • (nautical) The navigational direction of a ship
    • Derived terms
    * conning tower * take the con

    Etymology 6

    or (conference).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An organized gathering such as a convention or conference.

    • See also

    * cone * mod cons

    Anagrams

    * English three-letter words ----