noun
iconoclast
eye-KAH-nuh-klast/aɪˈkɑːnəklæst/
Someone who attacks the use of revered religious images.
The iconoclast condemns the display of sacred images in churches.
Etymology
An iconoclast was literally an “image-breaker,” originally someone who destroyed religious images as idols. The term broadened to someone who attacks cherished beliefs or established institutions.
In context
But the person most famous today for his work in alchemy is the Swiss physician and iconoclast Paracelsus
More examples
- As an iconoclast, he calls for removing statues of saints.
- The iconoclasts smash religious images to prevent their use in worship.
- She debates an iconoclast who condemns honoring religious images as idolatry.
Forms
iconoclast · iconoclasts
iconoclasm noun — Opposition to or destruction of religious images.
iconoclastic adjective — Opposing the use of revered religious images.
Similar words
- image breaker
- Specifically destroys religious images, rather than merely opposing their use.