graven image

noun

1. an idol.

graven image

noun

1. Bible a carved image used as an idol

Word History and Origins

Origin of graven image¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

She sat in her chair quite motionless, but her face had become like the face of some graven image.

From Project Gutenberg

And poor Hannah, the maid, white aproned and capped, would stand behind Aunt Harriet like a miserable conscious graven image.

From Project Gutenberg

Her voice was colorless, like the speech which might be expected from a graven image.

From Project Gutenberg

Nance's gaze shifted to Molly, who might have been turned into a graven image, so still was she sitting.

From Project Gutenberg

The photographer lit one cigarette on the end of another, but otherwise appeared as indifferent as a graven image.

From Project Gutenberg

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More About Graven Image

What does graven image mean?

A graven image is an idol—an object or image, such as a statue, that is worshiped as the representation of a deity or god.

The word graven means “carved” or “sculpted.” Graven image refers to some kind of object or image that has been made to represent a god.

The word idol can also refer to the deity or god that is being worshiped, but graven image is not typically used this way.

The worship of such an idol is called idolatry (or idol worship) and the people who do it can be called idolaters. Like these terms, graven image is most commonly used in a religious context in a negative, judgmental way, implying that the god that the image represents is not actually real and that such worship is wrong or sinful. In this way, graven images are sometimes called false idols.

A well-known example of an idol often referred to as a graven image comes from the Bible. A story in the book of Exodus tells how the Israelites made a statue of a golden calf to worship while Moses was away receiving the Ten Commandments, which prohibit the worship of graven images. Different religions have different interpretations of what constitutes a graven image.

Like the word idol, both graven image and golden calf are sometimes used in a metaphorical way to compare something to an object of religious devotion and worship, as in Many people treat money as a graven image. This sense of the phrase is also used in a critical way.

Example: Followers of certain forms of Christianity are sometimes accused of being idolaters by other Christians, who consider religious icons to be graven images.

Where does graven image come from?

The first records of the phrase graven image come from the 1300s. The word idol itself comes from the Greek eídōlon, meaning “image.”

Although the word idol can refer to a deity being worshiped, it typically refers to a physical object or image that has been made to represent the deity. This is what graven image typically refers to. Some religions prohibit any such likenesses of a deity or religious figure, considering them to be a form of idolatry.

Did you know … ?

What are some synonyms for graven image?

• idol
• false idol
• golden calf

What are some words that share a root or word element with graven image? 

• graven
• engrave
• image

What are some words that often get used in discussing graven image?

 

 

• worship
• false
• god
• deity
• idolatry
• idolater
• idolatrous
• Ten Commandments

How is graven image used in real life?

Graven image is typically used in a religious context in a judgmental way.

The Amish do not have their picture taken because they believe that photographs are "graven images."

— discovermarionky (@discovermarion) January 5, 2014

As a young girl in Florida, #AugustaSavage sculpted farm animals from red clay dirt. Her father whipped her for making what he considered “graven images.” The terracotta used for this 1942 work recalls Savage’s childhood forays into sculpture. https://t.co/yvUBg8xz73 pic.twitter.com/iXw31zGges

— New-York Historical Society (@NYHistory) July 24, 2019

In the 1940s, he helped reverse an earlier ruling that forced Jehovah's Witnesses to salute the flag (which they considered a graven image and therefore against their faith), and wrote the landmark Everson decision which authorized public funds for Catholic parochial schools.

— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) February 3, 2019

Try using graven image!

Is graven image used correctly in the following sentence?

“Most people don’t bow down before statues or other graven images, but they find other things to be idols, like material possessions.”