iconoclast

noun

icon·​o·​clast ī-ˈkä-nə-ˌklast 

1

: a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions

2

: a person who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration

iconoclastic

(ˌ)ī-ˌkä-nə-ˈkla-stik 

adjective

iconoclastically

(ˌ)ī-ˌkä-nə-ˈkla-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

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For the Meaning of Iconoclast, Break It Down

Iconoclast comes from the Greek word eikonoklastēs, which translates literally as “image destroyer.” While the destruction wrought by today’s iconoclasts is figurative—in modern use, an iconoclast is someone who criticizes or opposes beliefs and practices that are widely accepted—the first iconoclasts directed their ire at religious icons, those representations of sacred individuals used as objects of veneration. The Byzantine Empire’s Iconoclastic Controversy occurred in the 8th and 9th centuries, but the word iconoclast didn’t find its way to English until the 17th century. Figurative use came later still.

Synonyms

• bohemian
• boho
• counterculturist
• deviant
• enfant terrible
• free spirit
• heretic
• individualist
• lone ranger
• lone wolf
• loner
• maverick
• nonconformer
• nonconformist

Examples of iconoclast in a Sentence

notorious as an iconoclast, that music critic isn't afraid to go after sacred cows

Recent Examples on the Web

Who’s to say otherwise? Co-directed by the Canadian iconoclast with his collaborators Evan and Galen Johnson (the former of whom wrote the script), Rumours quickly introduces its international septet in broad, character-tic-heavy sketches. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2024

In many ways, Arana is an iconoclast, and a distinguished career actor who rarely gives interviews. —Alan Friedman, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Oct. 2024

Eric Roberts is an iconoclast, both in performance and in his personal life. —Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 22 Sep. 2024

Crypto may paint itself as an industry of lone wolves and iconoclasts, but its promise of riches (and sure, disruptive technology) has attracted some of the world’s biggest capital allocators, from sovereign wealth funds to endowments. —Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin īconoclastēs "person who destroys religious images," borrowed from Middle Greek eikonoklástēs, from Greek eikono- icono- + -klastēs, derivative, with the agent suffix -tēs, from the base of kláō, klân "to break off, break in pieces" — more at clastic

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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