iconoclast
Say it: eye-KON-uh-klast /aɪˈkɒnəklast/ · noun
What “iconoclast” means
Someone who challenges beliefs or traditions that others deeply respect.
More precisely: A person who attacks cherished beliefs, traditions or institutions.
When to use it
A formal word for someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions, often admiring their boldness but sometimes criticising their destructiveness.
Memory trick
Greek eikon means image, and klan means break: the earliest iconoclasts broke religious images.
Similar words
rebel, dissenter, radical
Where it comes from
From Greek eikōn 'image' + klan 'to break'; first used of image-breakers.
Quick check
A historian openly challenges a national hero's flawless reputation, questioning a story that generations have treasured. The historian is…
an iconoclast or a cynic?
Show the answer
an iconoclast
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