Word
Iconoclasm
The destruction or rejection of revered images; by extension, an attack on established beliefs or institutions
Examples
The removal of sacred images formed part of the ruler's policy of iconoclasm.
Her intellectual iconoclasm challenged assumptions the field usually left unexamined.
Origin
The word comes from Greek roots meaning image breaking. Its historical use is especially associated with disputes over religious images. The broader intellectual meaning keeps the idea of challenging something revered, although questioning a belief and destroying an object are different acts.
How it connects
Iconoclasm names an attack on objects whose significance extends beyond their material.
This word appeared in Why an image can become a battleground, the Involves connection for October 1, 2026, which asked: What are people trying to change when they attack a symbol?
Check yourself
Which case most clearly fits literal iconoclasm?
Destroying sacred images because their veneration is rejected. Exactly. Literal iconoclasm targets revered images and their use, rather than any alteration involving art.
What the sources establish
Iconoclasm means image breaking and historically concerns opposition to revered images.
Sources
Icons and Iconoclasm in Byzantium (The Metropolitan Museum of Art), Definition, theological dispute, and restoration in 843
Iconoclasm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art), Limits of the conventional narrative and interpretation of damaged images