iconoclast

noun

icon·​o·​clast ī-ˈkä-nə-ˌklast How to pronounce iconoclast (audio)
1
: a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions
2
: a person who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration
iconoclastic adjective
iconoclastically 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.
Ever the iconoclast, Cindy Sherman carried a fur bag and wore rubber boats with her dark suit. Ian Malone, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2025 Zoom in: While some CEOs pride themselves on being collegial consensus-builders, many more like to think of themselves as daring iconoclasts, leading from the front into uncharted opportunity. Felix Salmon, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025 And at a festival that celebrates the rebels, the artists and the iconoclasts, is there anything more Sundance than that? Matt Donnelly, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025 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 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

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Cite this Entry

“Iconoclast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iconoclast. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.

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