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