graven image
Americannoun
noun
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of graven image
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400
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.
The difference here is that Jackson’s intended audience—which, again, includes the vast majority of Americans who do not keep a graven image of Antonin Scalia in their homes—does not take assertions like this seriously anymore.
From Slate • Oct. 4, 2024
Here are some Jefferson quotes that visitors will not find on his memorial, a Roman pantheon-style temple to liberty where the Sage of Monticello's graven image keeps vigil over the Tidal Basin in Washington DC.
From BBC • Aug. 18, 2017
The religious community generally forbids images, with some members believing photographs are a form of graven image.
From The Guardian • Nov. 5, 2012
Beating the graven image Charlie McCarthy by a whisker, Jack Benny led the pack for 1940.
From Time Magazine Archive
At this there was a simultaneous tintinnabulation of all the bells, as each graven image lowered its raised foot in distress.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
