iconoclasm

UK/aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm/

nounC2Very rare — outside the 30,000 commonest English words, so you will meet it in writing rather than in speechmostly written

Iconoclasm is the attacking of beliefs and images others hold dear. An act of iconoclasm.

It began literally, with the destruction of religious images in Byzantium and the Reformation. Iconoclasm now usually means attacking reputations rather than statues, though not always.

Definitions of iconoclasm

1nouniconoclasmThe attacking of beliefs and images others hold dear.C2
“The book was pure iconoclasm and sold enormously.”

iconoclasm is an attack.

Where it comes from

Greek eikon, an image, plus klan, to break; the Byzantine iconoclasts broke religious images.

From iconoclast.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

iconoclasm in the wild

While iconoclasm may be carried out by adherents of a different religion, it is more commonly the result of sectarian disputes between factions of the same religion.
Iconoclasm
While the enthusiasm for iconoclasm varies among faiths, the practice is more common in religions which oppose idolatry, such as the Abrahamic religions.
Iconoclasm
In 815, Leo deposed Patriarch Nikephoros and reinstituted iconoclasm.
Leo V the Armenian
Domestically, he supported and strengthened the resumption of official iconoclasm, which had begun again under Leo V.
Michael II
However, Nicetas I was quite unpopular in Constantinople because he was a supporter of iconoclasm.
Nicetas I of Constantinople

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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