icon-averse
|i-con-a-verse|
🇺🇸
/ˌaɪkɑnəˈvɜrs/
🇬🇧
/ˌaɪkɒnəˈvɜːs/
turned away from images / opposed to icons
Etymology
'icon-averse' is a modern compound formed from 'icon' + 'averse'. 'Icon' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'eikōn', where 'eikōn' meant 'image' or 'likeness'; 'averse' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'aversus', where 'ab-' meant 'away' and 'vertere' meant 'to turn'.
'Icon' entered English via Late Latin and Old French (from Greek 'eikōn') and came to mean 'image' or 'representation'; 'averse' came into English from Latin 'aversus' (past participle of 'avertere', to turn away) via Old French/Anglo-Norman, giving the sense 'turned away from' that appears in modern English. The compound 'icon-averse' is a contemporary, descriptive formation combining these elements.
Initially the parts separately meant 'image' (icon) and 'turned away' (averse); combined in modern usage they produce the meaning 'turned away from images' or more broadly 'opposed to icons/being iconic.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having a strong dislike of or opposition to icons or pictorial symbols (e.g., graphical icons, emoji, pictograms); preferring non‑iconic or text-based representations.
Many older users are icon-averse and prefer descriptive text labels instead of pictograms.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 2
opposed to idolization or the ascribing of iconic status to people, objects, or ideas; resistant to treating something as an 'icon.'
He was deliberately icon-averse, refusing interviews to avoid being turned into a public symbol.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/09 07:41