iconoclast

play

noun icon·o·clast \ ī-ˈkä-nə-ˌklast \

Definition of iconoclast

1 :a person who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration

2 :a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions

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iconoclastic

play \(ˌ)ī-ˌkä-nə-ˈkla-stik\ adjective

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iconoclastically

play \(ˌ)ī-ˌkä-nə-ˈkla-sti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See iconoclast defined for English-language learners

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Examples of iconoclast in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of iconoclast from the Web

Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace) is the show’s take on a Don Draper-type iconoclast, someone who endures in the industry by mixing egomaniacal magnetism with a charismatic form of bullying.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "It's Not Too Late for Halt and Catch Fire," 22 Aug. 2017
The piece, presented by Bodhi Tree Concerts — a major fest presence over the past few years — was created in 1969 by the late Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, a composer who was an iconoclast in the extreme.

— james hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Fringe picks: '8 Songs' is mad fun at festival," 25 June 2017
The iconoclast from the Bronx was inexorably drawn to the politics of civil rights, the environment, opposition to the Vietnam war.

— logan jenkins, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Harvey Furgatch: Eccentric political player was one for the books," 22 June 2017
The American iconoclast even relocated to the region after staying at La Colombe in 1970, remaining in the area until his death in 1987.

— lianne turner and thomas page, CNN, "Inside La Colombe d'Or, modern art's home on the French Riviera," 14 June 2017
Star Josh Groban made his Broadway debut and earned his first Tony nomination playing Pierre, the gruff iconoclast who takes pity on disgraced ingenue Natasha.

— andrea simakis, cleveland.com, "Dave Malloy's 'The Great Comet' nabs 2 Tonys of 12; bested by 'Dear Evan Hansen'," 11 June 2017
There aren't too many iconoclasts left in the rock realm, but Roger Waters is assuredly one of them.

— joe lynch, Billboard, "Roger Waters Blasts Trump & Questions Bob Dylan's 'Schlock' Frank Sinatra Covers," 31 May 2017
Voters lean Republican and prefer iconoclasts along with limited government and their right to bear arms.

— Fox News, "Montana special election: GOP's Greg Gianforte builds lead in early returns," 26 May 2017
For the rest of Wednesday, Amash – an iconoclast who wrote in Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

— the washington post, The Denver Post, "Impeachment chatter ratchets up in halls of the Capitol," 17 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'iconoclast.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

For the Meaning of iconoclast, Break it Down

Iconoclast is a word that often shows up on vocabulary lists and College Board tests. How will you remember the meaning of this vocabulary-boosting term? If you already know the word icon, you're halfway there. An icon is a picture that represents something. The most common icons today are those little images on our computers and smartphones that represent a program or function, but in the still-recent past, the most common icons were religious images. Icon comes from the Greek eikōn, which is from eikenai, meaning "to resemble." Iconoclast comes to us by way of Medieval Latin from Middle Greek eikonoklastēs, which joins eikōn with a form of the word klan, meaning "to break." Iconoclast literally means "image destroyer."