The selectivity and the binding affinity of previously reported carborane-containing ligands 2 and 3 toward ERβ remains to be optimized. To improve their biological profiles, a series of iodinated carboranyl phenol derivatives (4-6) were designed and synthesized as prospective ERβ-selective ligands with high affinity. Several iodinated carboranyl phenols showed high relative binding affinity (RBA) values for both ERs, and especially for ERβ, due to suitable hydrophobic interactions of the iodine atoms with the hydrophobic amino acid residues of the ERβ ligand-binding domains. Among these derivatives, 9,10-diiodo-m-carborane 5f exhibited a more than 100% increase of the RBA values toward ERβ, a 14-fold increased selectivity for ERβ over ERα, and ER-agonistic activity in MCF-7 cell proliferation assays.