{"id":74,"date":"2021-02-06T02:57:52","date_gmt":"2021-02-06T07:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordofweek.com\/?p=74"},"modified":"2021-02-06T02:57:52","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T07:57:52","slug":"word-of-the-week-43-iconoclast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/?p=74","title":{"rendered":"W<\/strong>ORD OF THE <\/strong>W<\/strong>EEK <\/strong>#43 \u2013 iconoclast<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

iconoclast <\/strong>\u2013 <\/strong>noun \u2013 <\/strong>pronounced I KAHN oh clast \u2013 also as an adjective \u201ciconoclastic\u201d or an adverb \u201ciconoclastically\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of those words that may appear on a test you may be required to take in order to measure your intelligence.  Knowing this word my not only make you more intelligent, it may also help you to get a better score on that test, which may lead to a better grade, which may lead to a better job and finally may lead to a more successful, and happier life\u2026.so it\u2019s a pretty good idea to know what this word is all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most often it means a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions.  It also means a destroyer of images used in religious worship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be used to describe a non-conformist or maverick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ran into this word in the recent biography \u201c Tiger Woods\u201d\u2026.a good read my son recommended, as do I.

\u201cCharlie Pierce was a prolific writer with a reputation for iconoclastic <\/strong>insight and irreverent prose.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other recent examples:

\u201cAlex Winter’s deep dive into the life and music of politically minded\u00a0iconoclast\u00a0<\/strong>Frank Zappa.\u201d\u00a0 USA Today

\u201cThis is not Renzi’s first foray as an\u00a0iconoclast\u00a0<\/strong>shaking up Italian politics.\u201d <\/em>Star Tribune<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iconoclast is a great word to know and, more importantly, to use.\u00a0 It will make you appear intelligent without appearing pretentious.

To learn more about this word and to hear the correct pronunciation hit the following link:
https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/iconoclast<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A previous \u201cWord of the Week\u201d revisited:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

sanguine<\/strong> –\u00a0optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation. “I’m trying to be\u00a0sanguine\u00a0about this, but I see a major roadblock”.
https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/sanguine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quote of the Week:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This quote is directed to my grandsons.  If you will note, although I have a bit of knowledge and experience, I rarely give advice.  There is a reason which is well explained below by one of my favorite authors, James Lee Burke, whom my daughter introduced to me many years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only wisdom an old man learns in this world is that his life experience is ultimately his sole possession.  It is also the measure of his worth as a human being, the sum offering to whatever hand created him, and the ticket he carries with him into eternity.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if a man tries to put all the lessons he has learned on a road map for others, he might as well dip his pen into invisible ink.\u00a0<\/em> James Lee Burke, Feast of Fools <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Until next Saturday,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gramps<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forty three weeks of great words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 –\u00a0 \u00a0exacerbate – to make worse “Your input just exacerbates an already difficult situation.”
2 –\u00a0 \u00a0assuage – to make a situation or feeling less intense.” I pray our Heavenly Father may assuage you of the anguish of your grief”.
<\/a>3 –\u00a0 \u00a0force majeure’ –\u00a0\u00a0unforeseeable circumstance that prevents someone from fulfilling a contract. “The tenant will not be required to pay rent due to the force majeure’ clause.
4 – sanguine – \u00a0<\/a>optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation. “I’m trying to be\u00a0sanguine\u00a0about this, but I see a major roadblock”
5 –\u00a0 \u00a0segue – (seg way)\u00a0proceed to what follows without pause.\u00a0 “She has the skill to easily\u00a0segue from political conversations into subjects less controversial.”
6 –\u00a0 \u00a0bifurcate –\u00a0to cause to divide into two branches or parts. “We have decided to bifurcate this large project.”
7 –\u00a0 \u00a0indolent –\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>habitually lazy – “His failure in life may stem from his indolent ways as a youth”.
8 –\u00a0 \u00a0ameliorate –\u00a0to make better or more tolerable\u00a0–\u00a0\u00a0“this drug should ameliorate your pain”
9 –\u00a0 \u00a0truncate –\u00a0to shorten by or as if by cutting off – “A truncated version of this report is on the web.”
10 – nascent –\u00a0coming or having recently come into existence\u00a0\u00a0“His nascent idea for a business turned into a goldmine”
11 – b\u00e9chamel – a rich white sauce – “He made a lump-free b\u00e9chamel for her, and, in return, she gave him her love.”
12 – anarchy –\u00a0 absence of government – “The revolution began when anarchy took root in just one city”.
13 – rhetorical question – a question not intended to require an answer. “Is this a beautiful day or what?”
14 – milieu –\u00a0the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops.- “His discipline is a result of growing up as part of the military milieu”
15 – nadir – the lowest point – “The stock market reached its current nadir in March”
16 – black swan event – comes as a surprise and has a major effect. “This pandemic is considered by many to be a black swan event.”
17 – myopic –\u00a0narrow in perspective and without concern for broader implications.\u00a0 “Your myopic view of this project is disturbing”.
18 – quixotic –\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>foolishly impractical\u00a0especially in the pursuit of ideals – “His quixotic pursuit for her affection was quite simply foolish.”
19 – prescience –\u00a0human anticipation of the course of events – foresight.\u00a0 “His intuitive prescience helped to make him a success”
20 – laconic and laconic riposte – use of a minimum of words, and a short clever response to an insult or challenge.\u00a0 In response to a demand to\u00a0immediately\u00a0surrender\u00a0he sent back the following: “Nuts”.
21 – protean – ability to change, versatile.\u00a0 “The coronavirus is protean in its ability to either make you sick or not.”
22 – ephemeral – lasting a very short time or perhaps only one day. “Custer was chasing an ephemeral Indian city.”
23 – catch-22 –\u00a0a dilemma or difficult\u00a0circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions.\u00a0 From the novel “Catch-22”.
24 – arrogate –\u00a0to take or claim something without justification. “In order to accomplish his dream he arrogated to himself controversial powers”.
25 – obtuse – difficult to understand, lacking intellect.\u00a0 “The responses to his remarks this week were even more obtuse.”\u00a0
26 –\u00a0purloin –\u00a0to appropriate wrongfully (steal), often pertaining to a theft that is a breach of trust.\u00a0 “When she opened her new office she purloined one of my listings”.
27 – salience –\u00a0the quality of being particularly\u00a0noticeable\u00a0or important.\u00a0\u00a0“It is not clear that raising the electoral salience of the Supreme Court will work to the president\u2019s advantage.
28 – confabulate – to talk normally or to hold a discussion.\u00a0 “He likes to confabulate.”
29 – animus – a usually prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill will. \u201cI have no animus or agenda for the Affordable Care Act.\u201d
30 \u2013 puerile – to act or communicate in a juvenile, silly or childish manner. \u201cHis puerile ways are giving a poor impression at his job interviews\u201d.
31 \u2013 regnant – having the greatest influence – \u201cThe regnant belief\u201d.
32 \u2013 roil \u2013 to be agitated or chaotic \u2013 \u201cthe politics of slavery was roiling the United States\u201d.
33 \u2013 sonder – The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.
34 \u2013 inculcate – To instill or teach someone an attitude, idea, or habit by persistent instruction. \u201cThey will try to inculcate you with a respect for culture.\u201d
35 \u2013 mendacity \u2013 untruthfulness, lying. \u201cHe blew the whistle on the mendacity of the politician.\u201d 36 \u2013 pejorative \u2013 Expressing contempt or disapproval.\u00a0 Having negative connotations.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPermissiveness is often used a pejorative term\u201d.
37 \u2013 dystopian \u2013 A world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized fearful lives, often associated with a totalitarian government or an environmentally degraded world. \u201cThe dystopian future of a society bereft of reason\u201d.
38 \u2013 Occam\u2019s razor \u2013 The simplest answer may be the preferred answer.
39 \u2013 execrate or execrable \u2013 very bad \u2013 \u201cThe execrable hotel food.\u201d
40 \u2013 immutable \u2013 unchangeable \u2013 Do not make the mistake of assuming that public opinion is immutable.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
41 \u2013 prurient – having or encouraging an excessive or unwholesome interest in matters of sex.\u00a0
\u00a0\u201cShe\u2019d been the subject of much prurient <\/em><\/strong>curiosity\u201d.
42 \u2013 obsequious – exhibiting fawning attentiveness. Exaggerated deference of manner.\u00a0 \u201cWaiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities.\u201d
43 \u2013 iconoclast –\u00a0 a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions \u201cHe was a prolific writer with a reputation for iconoclastic insight and irreverent prose<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

iconoclast \u2013 noun \u2013 pronounced I KAHN oh clast \u2013 also as an adjective \u201ciconoclastic\u201d or an adverb \u201ciconoclastically\u201d. This is one of those words that may appear on a test you may be required to take in order to measure your intelligence.  Knowing this word my not only make you more intelligent, it may … Continue reading W<\/strong>ORD OF THE <\/strong>W<\/strong>EEK <\/strong>#43 \u2013 iconoclast<\/strong><\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[2],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=74"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77,"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions\/77"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=74"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=74"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=74"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}