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 Bong Joon Ho has been an iconoclast since the beginning. Katie Rife, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023 The iconoclast at 50, painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder in the 15th century Photo: Heritage Images / Getty Images Photo: Tiziano Demuro / Courtesy of Lessico Familiare Cecilia Lisbon, for her frankness. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 17 Jan. 2024 Friedman’s professors in Chicago were notable iconoclasts, including Frank Knight, a theorist of risk and a crusading antisocialist, and Jacob Viner, a professor of price theory and an early critic of the Fed. Krithika Varagur, The New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2024 Some took issue with such sentiments coming from an iconoclast like Smith. Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023 Having designers and stylists on call has taken a lot of awkward surprises out of awards show fashion, but some of the iconoclasts illustrated that a different kind of look can be stunning. Maane Khatchatourian, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2024 An iconoclast and a mentor, Boas is known for using the scientific method to disprove racist theories that had become dominant in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024 Lewis’s affections have never been limited to iconoclasts. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2023 Is Greenwald a stand-in for this famously outspoken Hollywood iconoclast, condemning the irredeemable rottenness of the system that employed him? Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'iconoclast.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin iconoclastes, from Middle Greek eikonoklastēs, literally, image destroyer, from Greek eikono- + klan to break — more at clast

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 19 Mar. 2024.

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