A string of text characters that, when viewed sideways, form a face expressing a particular emotion. An emoticon is often used in an e-mail message or newsgroup post as a comment on the text that precedes it. Common emoticons include :-) or :) (meaning “I’m smiling at the joke here”), ;-) (“I’m winking and grinning at the joke here”), :-((“I’m sad about this”), :-7 (“I’m speaking with tongue in cheek”), :D or :-D (big smile; “I’m overjoyed”), and :-O (either a yawn of boredom or a mouth open in amazement). Compare emotag.
(acronym for emotion and icon) Symbol composed of punctuation marks designed to express some form of emotion in the form of a human face. Emoticons were invented by e-mail users to overcome the fact that communication using text only cannot convey nonverbal information (body language or vocal intonation) used in ordinary speech.
The following examples should be viewed sideways.
:-) smiling :-O shouting :-(glum 8-) drunk.
(Computers) A symbol, often formed from punctuation marks, used in electronic mail or online forums to communicate the tone of a comment. + prikaži više

See emoticon.