a representation of a facial expression (as a smile or frown) created by typing a sequence of characters in sending email
":-( and :-) are emoticons"
A graphical representation of a particular emotion of the writer, used especially in SMS, email, or other electronic communication.
A graphic made up of text characters to represent such emotion; a smiley.
The word emoticon is a blend of the words emotion and icon. It refers to text-based facial expressions and is unrelated to emojis.