iconoclast

noun

icon·o·clast ī-ˈkä-nə-ˌklast

Synonyms of iconoclast next

: a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions

: 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.

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The late 13th century paintings were whitewashed following a mid-15th-century fire at the cathedral and subsequently boxed behind woodwork by 1786, which protected them from iconoclasts and vandalization during the French Revolution. —

Francesca Aton For Artnews, Robb Report, 4 Jan. 2025 And when iconoclasts do emerge, in the literal form of Rhodes scholars demanding that a statue of the man whose munificence and foresight funded their ticket into the global elite be taken down? —

airmail.news, 1 June 2024 Rebellion brings acclaim, which brings public expectations, which brings more rebellion: a cycle that’s true to Dylan’s life, but also that of many previous iconoclasts portrayed on film. —

Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 25 Dec. 2024 While he may be known for being an iconoclast, Bob Dylan has a public persona — aloof, remote, borderline misanthropic — that doesn’t exactly lend itself to the typical Hollywood treatment. —

Aja Romano, Vox, 25 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for iconoclast

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of iconoclast was in 1641

See more words from the same year