What does iconoclast mean?
Word: Iconoclast
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Iconoclast means a person who questions beliefs or customs that most people accept and suggests new ways of thinking.
How do you spell iconoclast?
Syllables: i - con - o - clast
Tricky part: The o after the n is said very lightly, so children often write an a or an i there instead.
Watch out for: iconaclast, iconiclast, ikonoclast
Memory tip: Say ic-ON-o-clast and treat that small middle o as a pebble you must not drop.
Iconoclast in a sentence
Example 1: The young architect was an iconoclast who designed a school shaped like a giant seashell.
Example 2: In music class we heard about an iconoclast who mixed jazz with old folk songs.
Example 3: Nadia is a bit of an iconoclast and always asks why the rules are the way they are.
Fun Fact
The word goes back to two Greek words, one meaning image and the other meaning breaker.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) explorer
b) iconoclast
c) revolutionary
d) inventer
Show answer
d) inventer. Inventor ends in or, just like actor and doctor.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
iconoclast
a) critic
b) conformist
c) rebel
d) pioneer
Show answer
b) conformist. A conformist follows the usual ways of doing things, while the other three all break with them in some way.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
_conocl_st
a) e, a
b) y, a
c) i, e
d) i, a
Show answer
d) i, a. The word opens with an i that sounds like eye, and the last part rhymes with fast.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
iconnoclast
a) c
b) n
c) o
d) l
Show answer
b) n. Only one n is heard between the two o's, so only one is written.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which person is acting most like an iconoclast?
a) a chef who serves ice cream with chilli in it
b) a chef who copies her grandmother's recipe exactly
c) a chef who cooks the very same dish each day
d) a chef who lets the customers choose the menu
Show answer
a) a chef who serves ice cream with chilli in it
2. An iconoclast at a science fair is most likely to ___.
a) help tidy the tables afterwards
b) repeat last year's project exactly
c) test an idea that everyone said was settled
d) hand out the prizes to the winners
Show answer
c) test an idea that everyone said was settled
