Chromoclasm
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The elimination or reduction of colorfulness for religious reasons. uncountable
"The preference for sombre, dark clothing does not only reflect "bourgeois" values, but also what Pastoreau characterises as the "chromoclasm" or "war against colour" being an important dimension in the new Christian morals of Protestantism - in fact, Pastoureau actually links this "chromoclasm" explicitly to the distinct cultural opposition between black and white and colour in cinema."
Example
More examples"The preference for sombre, dark clothing does not only reflect "bourgeois" values, but also what Pastoreau characterises as the "chromoclasm" or "war against colour" being an important dimension in the new Christian morals of Protestantism - in fact, Pastoureau actually links this "chromoclasm" explicitly to the distinct cultural opposition between black and white and colour in cinema."
Etymology
Coined by Michel Pastoureau as Blend of chroma + iconoclasm
More for "chromoclasm"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.