iconoclast
/aɪˈkɑn.əˌklæst/noun
iconoclast is spelled I-C-O-N-O-C-L-A-S-T: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 79,518th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, iconoclast means “One who destroys religious images or icons, especially an opponent of the Orthodox Church in the 8th and 9th centuries, or a Puritan during the…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of iconoclast is iconoclasts.
How many letters and syllables are in iconoclast?
| Letters | 10: I-C-O-N-O-C-L-A-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 79,518th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is iconoclast?
Iconoclast appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 79,518th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce iconoclast?
- UK /aɪˈkɒn.əˌklæst/
- US /aɪˈkɑn.əˌklæst/
Iconoclast has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-iconoclast.ogg, En-au-iconoclast.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of iconoclast
- iconoclasts plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does iconoclast mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One who destroys religious images or icons, especially an opponent of the Orthodox Church in the 8th and 9th centuries, or a Puritan during the European Reformation.
- 2
One who opposes orthodoxy and religion; one who adheres to the doctrine of iconoclasm.
In February 1895 he [William Cowper Brann, 1855-1898 ] revived publication of the Iconoclast. This time it was successful and eventually attained a circulation of 100,000. Brann took obvious relish in directing his stinging attacks upon ins
- 3
One who attacks cherished beliefs; a maverick.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Iconoclast in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense one who destroys religious images or icons:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | iconoclaste |
| German | Bilderstürmer, Bilderstürmerin, Ikonoklast |
| Portuguese | iconoclasta |
| Spanish | iconoclasta |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does iconoclast come from?
Borrowed from French iconoclaste and its etymon Medieval Latin īconoclastēs, from Byzantine Greek εἰκονοκλάστης (eikonoklástēs, literally “image breaker”). By surface analysis, icono- + -clast.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).