as in dissident
deviating from commonly accepted beliefs or practices
the book offers iconoclastic and irreverent portraits of some of history's most sacred cows
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Recent Examples of iconoclastic
Diane Keaton, the iconoclastic and left-of-center Oscar-winning film and fashion icon, has died, according to a family spokesperson who shared the news with People magazine.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 Oct. 2025
The prolific and iconoclastic filmmaker — who was previously a successful French electronic musician and record producer — is known for his absurdist and quirky sense of humor, as well as his boldness that stands out in the French cinema landscape.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025
Scallon is also well known for his 15-year stint at Maison Margiela, from 1993 to 2008, working alongside the iconoclastic founder, Martin Margiela, and functioning as communications head, the voice of the house, and ultimately its art director for communications.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2025
But the 1960s took hold and being iconoclastic became fashion.
—Martine Paris, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Her snide answers to their belittling questions are smart and iconoclastic, setting the stage for the other characters in the movie who also think outside the box.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
The iconoclastic Eric André will play Don Sauvage, a more recent addition to the Street Fighter franchise who appears as a ring announcer.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
An eight-time Grammy winner, Palmieri took both an iconoclastic and professorial approach to his music, striving for perfection through various means and genres.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
Unidentified, the latest from Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al Mansour (Wadjda), an iconoclastic crime thriller that questions our collective fascination with tales of femicide.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 Oct. 2025
The prolific and iconoclastic filmmaker — who was previously a successful French electronic musician and record producer — is known for his absurdist and quirky sense of humor, as well as his boldness that stands out in the French cinema landscape.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025
Scallon is also well known for his 15-year stint at Maison Margiela, from 1993 to 2008, working alongside the iconoclastic founder, Martin Margiela, and functioning as communications head, the voice of the house, and ultimately its art director for communications.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2025
But the 1960s took hold and being iconoclastic became fashion.
—Martine Paris, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Her snide answers to their belittling questions are smart and iconoclastic, setting the stage for the other characters in the movie who also think outside the box.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
The iconoclastic Eric André will play Don Sauvage, a more recent addition to the Street Fighter franchise who appears as a ring announcer.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
An eight-time Grammy winner, Palmieri took both an iconoclastic and professorial approach to his music, striving for perfection through various means and genres.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
Unidentified, the latest from Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al Mansour (Wadjda), an iconoclastic crime thriller that questions our collective fascination with tales of femicide.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for iconoclastic
Adjective
-
The regime in Tehran believed that, in 1981, the electrician, Mohammad Reza Kolahi—then a student and a member of an Iranian dissident group—had planted a bomb at the Islamic Republican Party’s headquarters, killing seventy-three people.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
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Among them were 17 members of the Iranian dissident organization Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK).—
Beth Bailey,
FOXNews.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Minnesota Vikings took an unconventional approach to try to combat the tush push Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia Eagles.—
Saad Yousuf,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Spiro is known for sourcing unconventional materials for his singular creations.—
Jill Newman,
Robb Report,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.—
Elizabeth Sander,
San Antonio Express-News,
19 Aug. 2022
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The document runs to more than a hundred and fifty pages, and for each question there are affirmative and dissenting studies, as well as some that indicate mixed results.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
3 June 2022
Adjective
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That group — which also included voices from prominent genre brands like Vinegar Syndrome, Fangoria, MPI Media, Alter, and more — toasted not just the scariest cinema but the most out-there media of all kinds.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
21 Oct. 2025
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Every Tuesday, a corner of the Mezquitán market turns into a massive secondhand clothing bazaar, with heaps of statement vintage finds and out-there patterned fabrics spread out over long tables.—
David Shortell,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In Charlton’s world, this was serious, almost heretical, praise.—
Michael Walker,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
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These statements were heretical in Athens, where Anaxagoras lived.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Iconoclastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/iconoclastic. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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