ICONOCLASTIC Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

iconoclastic

adjective

Definition of iconoclastic

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

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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 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 In a retrospective on her career, Sheridan acknowledged her iconoclastic nature. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 July 2026 But the truth is that our forefathers were sufficiently individualistic to be iconoclastic. — Colin Fleming, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for iconoclastic

Adjective

Rita Flores, a former member of the protest art collective Pussy Riot, alleged in an interview on Monday that members of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) had recruited her to spy on dissident artists.

— News Desk, Artforum, 26 Aug. 2026
Projects must be led by LGBTQ+ directors and screenwriters, or by professionals whose dissident gender identities and expressions inform their creative perspectives.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of dissident

Adjective

Munetaka Murakami made the quick decision to step on the bag and then throw to the plate, where catcher Drew Romo tagged out Trevor Larnach for an unconventional inning-ending double play.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
All the drama from last week’s showdown with the season-21 designers is resolved by season 22 winning the unconventional-materials challenge.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of unconventional

Adjective

They’re made from a faux leather that, frankly, looks really expensive, and are available in 20 colors, including some more out-there prints.

— Kaelin Dodge, InStyle, 17 Aug. 2026
Guitarist Adam Turay and trumpeter Ryan Easter both come from the jazzier side of the tracks, the former playing with Afro-R&B group the Narcotix, the latter with more out-there units like WRENS.

— Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026

Definition of out-there

Adjective

That led to cycles of reform and renovation, as well as backlash, chiefly from cultural conservatives, who saw the adoption of western European habits and attitudes as abominable and even heretical.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
In the 14th century, Bibles in English became associated with John Wycliffe, a priest who criticized corruption in the Catholic Church, and whose views on Holy Communion the church had declared heretical.

— Michael Bruening, The Conversation, 30 June 2026

Definition of heretical

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iconoclast

iconoclastic

iconoclasts

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“Iconoclastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/iconoclastic. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of iconoclastic

adjective

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