Standard Lemma guide

iconoclasm

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AY2 K AA1 N AH0 K L AE2 Z AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: iconomachy, idoloclasm

Antonyms: iconodulism, iconoduly, iconoplasm

Broader terms: desecration

2

noun

Meaning 2

A challenge to a widely held belief, tradition or cherished institution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, figuratively, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the orientation of an iconoclast

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: unorthodoxy, heterodoxy, heresy

History

Etymology

From iconoclast.

Across languages

Translations

34 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: պատկերամարտություն (patkeramartutʻyun) — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Catalan: iconoclàstia — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Chinese Mandarin: 破壞偶像主義 /破坏偶像主义 (pòhuàiǒuxiàngzhǔyì) — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Czech: ikonoklasmus — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Czech: obrazoborectví — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Danish: billedstorm — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Danish: ikonoklasme — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Dutch: iconoclasme — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Dutch: beeldenstorm — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Esperanto: ikonoklasmo — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Finnish: ikonoklasmi — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • French: iconoclasme — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Georgian: ხატმებრძოლეობა (xaṭmebrʒoleoba) — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • German: Ikonoklasmus — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • German: Bildersturm — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • German: Bilderstürmerei — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Hungarian: képrombolás — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Indonesian: ikonoklasme — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Italian: iconoclastia — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Japanese: 偶像破壊 (guuzou-hakai) — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Polish: ikonoklazm — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Polish: obrazoburstwo — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Portuguese: iconoclastia — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Russian: иконоборчество (ikonoborčestvo) — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Russian: иконоклазм (ikonoklazm) — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Spanish: iconoclasia — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Spanish: iconoclastia — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Swedish: bildstorm — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Swedish: ikonoklasm — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Ukrainian: іконобо́рство (ikonobórstvo) — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Ukrainian: іконокла́зм (ikonoklázm) — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Welsh: delwddrylliad — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Welsh: eiconoclastiaeth — belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons
  • Hungarian: polgárpukkasztás — by extension: attacking cherished beliefs
Real reading context

iconoclasm in complete knowledge articles