iconoclast

American  

[ahy-kon-uh-klast] / aɪˈkɒn əˌklæst /

noun

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

   Synonyms:

   radical, dissenter, rebel, nonconformist

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

---

iconoclast British  

/ aɪˈkɒnəˌklæst /

noun

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

2. 1. a destroyer of religious images or sacred objects

   2. 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

---

Other Word Forms

• iconoclastic adjective
• iconoclastically adverb

Etymology

Origin of iconoclast

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

Explanation

Are you always challenging the establishment? Or provoking popular thought by attacking traditions and institutions? Then you're definitely an iconoclast. To be called an iconoclast today is usually kind of cool — they're rugged individualists, bold thinkers who don't give a hoot what tradition calls for. But back in medieval Greece, the iconoclasts had a more thuggish reputation. Stemming from the Greek words eikon, meaning "image," and klastes, meaning "breaker," an iconoclast was someone who destroyed religious sculptures and paintings.

Example Sentences

Frank Dikötter is an iconoclast historian who immerses himself in the primary sources more thoroughly than any other Western scholar of 20th-century China.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

Fellow pop iconoclast Madonna has already declared herself a fan, posting a message to Rosalía on Instagram, saying: "I can't stop listening! You are a true visionary!!!"

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025

There was a lengthy interview with the subject herself, replete with quotes meant to amplify her image as an iconoclast and a force to be reckoned with.

From Salon • Oct. 6, 2025

The 86-year-old iconoclast is now sought after by corporations as a consultant.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 1, 2025

But Wagner wasn't the only composer who was guilty of creating unnecessary clutter in the eyes of an iconoclast like Satie.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall