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
Consisting entirely of text, the iconoclastic video installation was shown briefly on television, in airtime purchased by the artists, to alert unsuspecting spectators to TV advertising’s role—and their own complicity—in maintaining the status quo.
—
Michael Cowan, Artforum, 1 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
Michael Cowan, Artforum, 1 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
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Many in Syria’s dissident circles at first found Bashar’s awkwardness and shyness appealing.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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And anyone who dares to peek behind the curtain—journalists, dissident professors, activists, even, bizarrely, the Iranian president himself—becomes a threat to the regime.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Trump, much like in his first term, remains a polarizing figure, as his second presidential term has been marked by a series of unconventional actions.—
Jordan Green,
Memphis Commercial Appeal,
6 Feb. 2026
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For more than four decades, Robert Kaplow has built an unconventional writing career.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
6 Feb. 2026
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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Less out-there, sure, but a little too much been-there.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2026
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Throughout, the out-there design has been paired with state-of-the-art tech and security upgrades.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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
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That’s because The Carpenter’s Son is not only gruesomely horror-leaning, but it’s based on the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which some deem heretical or even blasphemous.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
14 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Iconoclastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/iconoclastic. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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