iconoclastic

adjective

Definition of iconoclasticnext
as in dissident
deviating from commonly accepted beliefs or practices the book offers iconoclastic and irreverent portraits of some of history's most sacred cows

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of iconoclastic With Carrie, the architect of an elaborate dollhouse, and Florine, a painter whose iconoclastic canvases have made their way into the modernist canon, Ettie hosted a salon frequented by the day’s avant garde. — Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026 Golden, who is no stranger to voting against his party, has taken an iconoclastic approach to his last months in Congress by repeatedly backing Republican procedural votes. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026 Within years, the iconoclastic comic was a weary and defeated man — broke, baggy-eyed, and prematurely old. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026 But for the iconoclastic Coppola, a desire to work with an up-and-coming actor, who his friends Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese had discovered and was not yet a star, became the other key impetus to make the film. — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026 At the office, former Crowdpac employees say Hilton embraced the stereotype of an iconoclastic startup founder. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Performed mostly with the world’s coolest house band in Yo La Tengo, the 19-song set saw iconoclastic singers and musicians add their own flavor to Ono originals. — Katherine Turman, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026 The genre, with its sanitized storylines and Oscar-baiting pretensions, seems fundamentally at odds with the iconoclastic chef and television personality. — Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026 Like Dante, Nick Tosches was an undaunted character whose tongue-twisting prose was an iconoclastic mash-up of realism and intricate, erudite lyricism. — A.d. Amorosi, SPIN, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for iconoclastic
  1. dissident
  2. unconventional
  3. dissenting
  4. out-there
  5. heretical
Adjective
  • The regime transmuted its coercive force into political legitimacy through the spectacular destruction of dissident bodies, restoring reverence for the Eagle.
    — Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In January 1977 the writer, dissident, and future president of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel, was arrested by the Communist regime for his part in organizing the groundbreaking Czechoslovak human rights initiative, Charter 77.
    — Václav Havel, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of dissident
Adjective
  • As with their other current CBS hit Elsbeth — and unlike their more creatively unconventional streaming shows The Good Fight and Evil — Cupertino sands down some of the Kings’ jagged edges, aiming for something cuter.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • He was known for intense performances and roles that often portrayed complex or unconventional characters.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of unconventional
Adjective
  • The Fed’s interest rate-setting committee is divided and saw the most dissenting votes in more than three decades last month.
    — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 May 2026
  • Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.
    — Elizabeth Sander, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Aug. 2022
Definition of dissenting
Adjective
  • For music this uncompromising and out-there, the process is just as, if not more, important as the result.
    — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 28 Sep. 2026
  • When scouting celebrity style, bold, out-there looks sometimes aren’t the ones that resonate the most.
    — Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of out-there
Adjective
  • This salad was a bit heretical—a hybridization of Roman puntarelle dressing and Venetian radicchios.
    — Tamar Adler, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Bell stars as heretic priest John Ball, while Garfield portrays a character called Ploughman, a grieving farmer who unintentionally finds himself in a leadership position.
    — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of heretical

Browse Nearby Words

iconoclast
iconoclastic
iconoclasts
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Iconoclastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/iconoclastic. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All