iconoclast
Iconoclast (noun) means a person who challenges or attacks widely cherished beliefs, traditions or institutions. Example: “The critic was known as an iconoclast who mocked every respected institution in town.”
How to use iconoclast
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn iconoclast is someone who goes against accepted ideas and shakes up what others take for granted.
The word is fairly formal and is used mostly in writing about ideas, culture or public figures.
Remember the literal root: an iconoclast originally broke images, so today it means someone who breaks with accepted ideas.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The critic was known as an _____ who mocked every respected institution in town.
Etymology
Iconoclast was borrowed into English from French iconoclaste, which itself came from Medieval Latin īconoclastēs. That term goes back to Medieval Greek, where it literally meant image breaker, built from roots meaning icon and breaking.
