SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
iconoclastic
adjective
Challenging established beliefs, traditions, or admired institutions.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Challenging conventions
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topIconoclastic involves attacking established beliefs or admired institutions; unconventional only means departing from custom.
RELATED FORMS, ONE FEATURED ENTRY
The iconoclast family
iconoclastic is grouped under iconoclast in the main dictionaries. This form keeps its meaning and previous study record.
iconoclastnoun
A person who challenges cherished beliefs or established conventions.
A person who challenges cherished beliefs or established conventions
Closest synonyms
Related expressions
The iconoclast questioned a rule that no one else dared discuss.
She became known as an iconoclast in the conservative academy.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See iconoclastic in use
The iconoclastic designer questioned every familiar convention.
One idiosyncrasy of Niko's design notebooks was that every project began with a question written upside down at the bottom of the page. Colleagues found the habit eccentric, though he said it reminded him to turn the first assumption around before drawing. His iconoclastic proposal for a gallery guide challenged the familiar practice of placing a confident interpretation beside every work.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license