iconoclast

[ ahy-kon-uh-klast ]
See synonyms for: iconoclasticonoclastic on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a person who attacks cherished beliefs, traditional institutions, etc., as being based on error or superstition.

  2. a breaker or destroyer of images, especially those set up for religious veneration.

Origin of iconoclast

1
1590–1600; <Medieval Latin īconoclastēs<Medieval Greek eikonoklástēs, equivalent to Greek eikono-icono- + -klastēs breaker, equivalent to klas- (variant stem of klân to break) + -tēs agent noun suffix

Other words for iconoclast

Other words from iconoclast

  • i·con·o·clas·tic, adjective

Words Nearby iconoclast

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How to use iconoclast in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for iconoclast

iconoclast

/ (aɪˈkɒnəˌklæst) /


noun
  1. a person who attacks established or traditional concepts, principles, laws, etc

    • a destroyer of religious images or sacred objects

    • an adherent of the heretical movement within the Greek Orthodox Church from 725 to 842 ad, which aimed at the destruction of icons and religious images

Origin of iconoclast

1
C16: from Late Latin iconoclastes, from Late Greek eikonoklastes, from eikōn icon + klastēs breaker

Derived forms of iconoclast

  • iconoclastic, adjective
  • iconoclastically, adverb

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