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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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 Drexler, who died last year, at ninety-eight, was not only an iconoclastic novelist, a multiple-Obie-winning playwright, and an Emmy-winning comedy writer. — Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026 How far might a nation go that had no kings to depose, no entrenched hierarchies to uproot, a country so young and iconoclastic and resource-rich? — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026 And Radical enjoyed a long working relationship with the iconoclastic ad agency Wieden + Kennedy, which devised work for Nike that took the company well beyond the typical 30 second commercial. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 14 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for iconoclastic

Adjective

The head of the United Kingdom’s MI5 spy agency said Iran is trying to strike military sites in Britain, going beyond the traditional targets of dissident Iranians.

— Jared Gans, The Hill, 14 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of dissident

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

None of it feels remotely tied to the zeitgeist, instead showing an artist galvanized by their own out-there proclivities and exhilarated by the limitations of whatever ramshackle gear might be lying around a home studio.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
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

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

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iconoclastic

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“Iconoclastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/iconoclastic. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of iconoclastic

adjective

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