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Synonyms

iconoclasm

American  
[ahy-kon-uh-klaz-uhm] / aɪˈkɒn əˌklæz əm /

noun

  1. the action or spirit of iconoclasts.


iconoclasm British  
/ aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm /

noun

  1. the acts or beliefs of an iconoclast

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of iconoclasm

1790–1800; iconocl(ast) + -asm on model of such pairs as enthusiast: enthusiasm

Vocabulary lists containing iconoclasm

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Iconoclasm is the author’s default sensibility and not only with respect to the economics profession.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

Iconoclasm, he said, always brought with it ostracism — revolutionary ideas took time to catch on.

From New York Times • Aug. 20, 2020

Iconoclasm is powerful — and cathartic for those who do it — because the images or statues themselves hold great power.

From Washington Post • Jun. 13, 2020

Iconoclasm also lent itself to what would eventually become a permanent split between the eastern and western churches – Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

Iconoclasm is easy and warming under an electric light in one's study.

From A Thousand and One Afternoons in Chicago by Hecht, Ben

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