Iconoclasm

//aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. countable, uncountable

    "Finally, “iconoclasm” is a form of desecration and shares its general intention to deny the sacred qualities of an image and to demonstrate that it has no power, to prevent it from being treated as an idol or a rival to God.¹⁴ But not all forms of desecration constitute iconoclasm, though iconoclasm is always a form of desecration."

  2. 2
    the orientation of an iconoclast wordnet
  3. 3
    A challenge to a widely held belief, tradition or cherished institution. countable, figuratively, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
heresyiconomachyidoloclasm

Example

More examples

"Finally, “iconoclasm” is a form of desecration and shares its general intention to deny the sacred qualities of an image and to demonstrate that it has no power, to prevent it from being treated as an idol or a rival to God.¹⁴ But not all forms of desecration constitute iconoclasm, though iconoclasm is always a form of desecration."

Etymology

From iconoclast.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.