anti-iconic
|an-ti-i-con-ic|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.ti.aɪˈkɑ.nɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tɪ.aɪˈkɒn.ɪk/
against iconicity
Etymology
'anti-iconic' originates from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') combined with 'iconic' (from Greek 'eikon' via Latin/French, meaning 'image' or 'likeness').
'iconic' derives from Greek 'eikon' → Late Latin/Medieval Latin 'iconicus' → Old French/Latin forms and entered English as 'icon'/'iconic'; the modern formation 'anti-iconic' is a 20th/21st-century compound created by adding the prefix 'anti-' to 'iconic'.
Initially related to being 'against images' or 'against traditional images'; over time the compound has come to mean broadly 'opposed to iconic status or characteristics' or 'deliberately non-iconic' in artistic and cultural contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
opposed to or intentionally rejecting iconic representation, imagery, or the status of being an icon; subverting recognizable symbols.
The exhibition adopted an anti-iconic approach, avoiding familiar religious symbols in its works.
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Adjective 2
not characteristic of, or lacking the qualities of, an icon; unrepresentative or deliberately non-typical.
Her anti-iconic portrayal of the leader avoided heroic poses and grand gestures.
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Last updated: 2025/11/20 09:49