iconoclastic

[ ahy-kon-uh-klas-tik ]

adjective

1. attacking or ignoring cherished beliefs and long-held traditions, etc., as being based on error, superstition, or lack of creativity:

   an iconoclastic architect whose buildings are like monumental sculptures.

2. breaking or destroying images, especially those set up for religious veneration.

Other Words From

• i·cono·clasti·cal·ly adverb
• noni·cono·clastic adjective
• noni·cono·clasti·cal·ly adverb
• uni·cono·clastic adjective
• uni·cono·clasti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of iconoclastic¹

First recorded in 1640–45; iconoclast + -ic

Example Sentences

For decades, Hern has advanced the iconoclastic position that pregnancy is not different from disease.

From Los Angeles Times

The iconoclastic Jodorowsky arrives in town this weekend for a retrospective at the American Cinematheque — it’s his first visit in more than six years.

From Los Angeles Times

"His films were revolutionary and iconoclastic, and captured the spirit of an age," their statement said.

From BBC

The other is an iconoclastic Latin American leader and self-declared anarcho-capitalist, prone to cloning his dead dogs and obsessed with destroying state controls.

From Seattle Times

The more iconoclastic Porter has orientated herself as the agent of change — running, to some degree, against the D.C. establishment that Schiff represents.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• irreverent