iconoclast
/aɪˈkɑn.əˌklæst/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.15 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
One who destroys religious images or icons, especially an opponent of the Orthodox Church in the 8th and 9th centuries, or a Puritan during the European Reformation.
Example Sentences
- "In the days of the early Christian church, people who opposed the veneration (reverence) of images were called iconoclasts."
- "In February 1895 he [William Cowper Brann, 1855-1898 ] revived publication of the Iconoclast. This time it was successful and eventually attained a circulation of 100,000. Brann took obvious relish in directing his stinging attacks upon institutions and persons he considered to be hypocritical or overly sanctimonious."
- "After all, the fact that any discussion of the possibility is greeted with hysterical revulsion guarantees that only two types of people will take the "pro" side in public: fearless iconoclasts who do not care what anyone thinks of them; and racists."
- "Coming so soon after the death of David Bowie, it’s a moment to consider how deeply important iconoclasts are to the evolution of a culture. Do they change the world by trying to change it, or do they change the world through the radical act of simply being themselves?"
- "Relishing the role of iconoclast, he confounded the scientific establishment by dismissing the consensus about the perils of man-made climate change as “tribal group-thinking.”"
Etymology
Borrowed from French iconoclaste and its etymon Medieval Latin īconoclastēs, from Byzantine Greek εἰκονοκλάστης (eikonoklástēs, literally “image breaker”). By surface analysis, icono- + -clast.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: iconoclaste, īconoclastēs, εἰκονοκλάστης
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /aɪˈkɑn.əˌklæst/
- British English: /aɪˈkɒn.əˌklæst/