aniconic

[ an-ahy-kon-ik ]

/ ˌæn aɪˈkɒn ɪk /

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adjective

not employing or permitting images, idols, etc.: an aniconic religion.

not forming an image.

of or relating to aniconism.

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Origin of aniconic

First recorded in 1890–95; an-¹ + iconic

Words nearby aniconic

Aniakchak, Aniakchak Crater, anianiau, anicca, Anicetus, aniconic, aniconism, anigh, Anik, anil, anile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use aniconic in a sentence

This is not necessarily the case with the worshipper of aniconic or unshaped gods.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 3|Various
Here then in the most marked manner the aniconic sacrament has ousted pictures and statues.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 3|Various
The question arises: must the stage of aniconic gods historically precede and lead up to that of pictures and images?
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for aniconic

aniconic

/ (ˌænaɪˈkɒnɪk) /

adjective

(of images of deities, symbols, etc) not portrayed in a human or animal form

Word Origin for aniconic

C19: from an- + iconic

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