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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of iconoclastic
There’s an iconoclastic aspect to her as well, suggesting a challenge to the gods and nature in figuration that is ultimately rejected.
—
Theo Belci, Artforum, 27 Feb. 2026
The film’s official synopsis is a quote attributed to the iconoclastic filmmaker.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2026
The Bad Plus, the iconoclastic jazz group known for its genre-eschewing approach, will disband in 2026, closing a 26-year chapter of experimentation.
—Marc Schneider, Billboard, 13 Jan. 2026
In this autofictional novel, Huisman describes growing up in Paris with her beautiful, bipolar mother and iconoclastic, flamboyant father.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
The film Carnival Night, released that same year, captured the iconoclastic mood.
—Andrew Fedorov, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
Her Agnes is an iconoclastic, witchy woman of the woods, drawn passionately to Paul Mescal’s William Shakespeare but reluctant to give herself over to be a wife and mother.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Laurie Orlando, who has supervised talent recruitment and strategy at CBS News for nearly a decade, is leaving the Paramount Skydance operation — the latest of the news division’s senior executives to exit as the parent company overhauls its operations under an iconoclastic new editor in chief.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
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
Theo Belci, Artforum, 27 Feb. 2026
The film’s official synopsis is a quote attributed to the iconoclastic filmmaker.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2026
The Bad Plus, the iconoclastic jazz group known for its genre-eschewing approach, will disband in 2026, closing a 26-year chapter of experimentation.
—Marc Schneider, Billboard, 13 Jan. 2026
In this autofictional novel, Huisman describes growing up in Paris with her beautiful, bipolar mother and iconoclastic, flamboyant father.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
The film Carnival Night, released that same year, captured the iconoclastic mood.
—Andrew Fedorov, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
Her Agnes is an iconoclastic, witchy woman of the woods, drawn passionately to Paul Mescal’s William Shakespeare but reluctant to give herself over to be a wife and mother.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Laurie Orlando, who has supervised talent recruitment and strategy at CBS News for nearly a decade, is leaving the Paramount Skydance operation — the latest of the news division’s senior executives to exit as the parent company overhauls its operations under an iconoclastic new editor in chief.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for iconoclastic
Adjective
-
That decision might also help keep Iranians inside the country isolated from the large dissident movement in the diaspora.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Gu’s critics found more fuel Thursday night following the heroics of Liu, the daughter of a Chinese dissident father who fled China due to his role in the pro-democracy protests and ensuing massacre in Tiananmen Square in 1989.—
Griffin Eckstein,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Crawford modeled a plunging pinstripe vest featuring an unconventional wrap closure, pairing it with matching trousers.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The two strike up a somewhat unconventional romance after meeting on Christmas in Colin’s local pub wherein their first date involves a back-alley blowjob and little conversation.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.—
Elizabeth Sander,
San Antonio Express-News,
19 Aug. 2022
-
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
-
The planet is the setting for an unlikely mix of sci-fi, magic, and fantasy, populated by a bizarre assortment of characters whose origins were usually determined by the out-there whims of toymakers — there really is no other way to explain Snout Spout.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
3 Mar. 2026
-
While casual fans of Bessette-Kennedy’s style might imagine her wardrobe as simple above all else, the fashion insider had a taste for the out-there stuff, too.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Drunkenness, like madness, protects the messengers of heretical truth from disbelief, disdain, and retaliation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
This heretical policy gets some support from yet another rigid convention, that of credits, which separates directors from screenwriters.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Iconoclastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/iconoclastic. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
