iconoclast
noun
Did you know?
Iconoclast comes from the Middle Greek word eikonoklástēs, 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
Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 15 Apr. 2026
The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast?
—Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
But, more intriguingly, the often shape-shifting iconoclast will be trying on what promises to be a new or at least evolved musical style.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
The women in her stories feel profound, distinct uncertainty toward convention—less as iconoclasts than fierce individuals.
—Chloe Schama, Vogue, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for iconoclast
Cite this Entry
“Iconoclast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iconoclast. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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