NSW Selective & Scholarship

Learn “Iconoclast”

A free exam-vocabulary guide with a precise meaning, natural context and a memory connection that makes the word easier to retrieve.

First featured

SelectiveDaily read

NSW Selective & Scholarship

Iconoclast

noun/eye-kon-uh-klast/

Meaning

a person who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions.

In context

As an iconoclast, she enjoyed challenging traditional ideas.

Remember it

Icono- (image) + clast (breaker): once a statue-smasher, now a smasher of accepted ideas.

Use it well

Use for people who challenge tradition: 'a true iconoclast'; often admiring, sometimes critical.